Uni jobs cut plan slashes redundancies to 138

The number of jobs to be cut at Cardiff University has been reduced to 138 after changes to its cost saving plans and the voluntary departure of dozens of staff.

It follows a previous reduction in the number of proposed job losses last month from 400 to 286.

An agreement with unions earlier this month to ditch strike action included a pledge by the university not to make any compulsory redundancies in 2025.

The University and College Union (UCU) offered a "cautious welcome" to the change, adding "there remain numerous areas of grave concern for our members".

"Our members will be relieved to hear that management now agrees with UCU's long-standing argument that we should aim to restructure the university and make savings over a longer period," a Cardiff UCU spokesperson said.

Final proposals are due to be agreed by the university council on 17 June.

The university previously said it had to take action to address a £30m black hole in its budget with the pressure of increased costs and falling international student numbers affecting the whole higher education sector.

An offer of voluntary severance between June and September 2024 was taken up and approved for 155 staff from the 7,000-strong workforce.

Cardiff University is the largest in Wales with 32,725 students in 2023.

It is a member of the Russell group of 24 leading and research-intensive institutions, often considered to be the most elite in the country.

Other universities across Wales and the UK have also been cutting staff in an attempt to address deficits in their budgets.