PICKETS will be held outside Glasgow Caledonian University (GCU) this morning over plans to cut up to 100 posts — even though the university is not currently in deficit.

University and College Union (UCU) members will walkout today, tomorrow and on August 4 and work to contract as part of action short of a strike.

Bosses have made clear they intend to press on with the cuts and refused to rule out the use of compulsory redundancies despite some staff having already indicated that they will take voluntary, said the union.

GCU UCU branch president Karen Lorimer said: “GCU has for many years reported operating surpluses and holds cash reserves. 

“There is currently no deficit so many staff and members of the union see these job cuts as a choice senior managers are making rather than financial necessity.  

“Staff are increasingly concerned that senior management appear more willing to preserve large cash reserves and pursue significant capital investment projects than to protect jobs and the staff who deliver the university’s teaching, research and widening access mission.  

“We want to work with management meaningfully to try and help identify savings, but we’re clear that this engagement needs to be genuine and purposeful and that the threat of compulsory redundancies also needs to be taken off the table.”

UCU general secretary Jo Grady said that GCU’s award for the country’s top modern university this year is “entirely down to the hard work of staff and their commitment and contribution to teaching and research.  

“Getting rid of the very staff that have made the award possible means that, if these cuts go ahead, we can forget about more awards any time soon.” 

A spokesperson for GCU said: “The University’s programme for change follows a significant drop in income from international recruitment in recent years. As a result, we have started a formal consultation process with affected staff and our trade union colleagues on a proposed reduction in posts across a limited number of academic, research and professional services areas. We need to respect that process and, accordingly, no final decisions have been made.

“The changes we need to make are necessary to return the University to a financially sustainable position, protect the quality of the student experience and outcomes, and ensure GCU continues to serve Glasgow for years to come.”