THE University of Aberdeen’s court has backed plans to cut modern language courses, despite widespread outcry.

At a meeting on Wednesday afternoon, the institution’s governing body endorsed plans to axe all single honours undergraduate courses, despite calls from unions, European consulates and the 17,000 who signed a petition urging a rethink.

Following the decision, senior vice-principal Professor Karl Leydecker said: “I am pleased that our governing body has endorsed plans which will place modern languages including Gaelic on a firm financial and academic footing.”

The plans which were endorsed represent a shift from initial proposals to axe the department altogether, but University and College Union’s Mary Senior said its members will go ahead with planned strike action to protect jobs.

She told the Star: “We are not aware that the employer has removed the threat of compulsory redundancy from our members in modern languages, so our dispute with the University of Aberdeen remains live, with six days of escalating strike action due to commence from Tuesday 12 March.  

“We remain open to a negotiated resolution to this dispute, and will continue to meet with the employer to urge them to lift the threat of compulsory redundancies at the university.”