College faces 'unprecedented' staffing cuts

Staff at Tyne Coast College, which has sites in South Shields and Wallsend, are facing redundancy

More than 20 staff members at a further education college on Tyneside are facing redundancy halfway through the academic year.

The move has been branded “unprecedented” by union officials who said it was strange that such large cuts are being carried out during the school year.

The head of Tyne Coast College said that “efficiencies need to be made due to under recruitment in certain curriculum areas” as well as apprenticeships and higher education.

A union official said that people are at risk of losing their jobs from the end of February.

The college told several staff members on 18 January that they are being considered for redundancy.

Staff from sites in Wallsend and South Shields will be affected.

The move comes after more than 100 staff at the college went on strike in October 2023 over a pay dispute.

This dispute is still not resolved, said UCU regional support official Jon Bryan.

The college said 54 people are in the pool of staff being considered for redundancy and that a consultation about who will lose their jobs is currently ongoing.

'Demoralised'

A total of 22 posts will be made redundant, the college said.

“We are inviting requests for voluntary redundancy across the college and are looking at a reduction in contracts and redeployment of staff to other roles, where possible, to further mitigate compulsory redundancy,” said Dr Lindsey Whiteroad, the head of the college.

But Mr Bryan said staff are “quite demoralised”.

He said it was strange that the college was instigating the redundancies now.

“It’s very unusual for a college to make redundancies part way through the academic year, particularly on the scale that is being proposed.”

Hiring freeze

Mr Bryan said teachers, business support and managers were at risk of redundancy.

The college also said nine vacant posts have not been filled to mitigate redundancy and that there is a hiring freeze on non-critical roles.

Mr Bryan said that the union had not been given “any meaningful data which confirms the need for the college to make the cuts in staffing that are being proposed”.

“We are unconvinced of the need to make such drastic cuts, and our members are also bewildered by what they are being told in individual meetings where their job is at risk,” he said.

Meetings between UCU and college management are ongoing, said Mr Bryan.