Hull College gets union warning over job cut plans

Hull College said "our focus has remained on providing the best possible experience for our learners"

Plans for job cuts at Hull College would have "serious implications" for students, a union has warned.

The college had spent "the last few months" working with colleagues to set the 2020-21 budget, it said.

The University and College Union (UCU) said the college planned to cut 57 jobs and create 21 new roles.

Hull College said it was in "unprecedented times" and calculating the impact of the current pandemic on staff and learners was "challenging".

"Our focus has remained on providing the best possible experience for our learners, now and in the future", it added.

A 30-day staff consultation began on 10 August, according to the UCU.

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Staff on a picket line in 2018 over previous plans to cut posts at the college

Julie Kelly, for the union, said: "These plans will have serious implications for students' education.

"Axing specialist staff that support students with learning disabilities, for example, is going to have a massive impact and the college is misleading people if it tries to suggest otherwise."

Ms Kelly also called on the college to reconsider job losses "in the middle of a pandemic".

The college offers a range of technical and professional qualifications in further and higher education with its main campus in Hull city centre.

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