No to funding cuts

Unite has condemned the Northern Ireland Executive over the implementation of its budget which has forced brutal cuts on the Higher Education sector, resulting in almost 200 job losses at the University of Ulster.

The move follows an ÂŁ8.6m cut in the subsidy received from the Department for Employment and Learning (DEL).

Sean Smyth, the union’s officer with responsibility for the university, said “Higher Education is vital to efforts to transform Northern Ireland’s economy onto a higher value-added basis.

“By deciding to slash funding for Higher Education, the NI Executive risks undermining our ability to compete in the global market.”

Short-sighted

Smyth called Stormont cuts – which will result in the closure of the Modern Language School in Coleraine –“short sighted.”

He added: “It isn’t that long ago since we lost the German Department in Queens University. How can Northern Ireland develop an outward-looking economy without an adequate supply of people able to communicate in modern languages like Chinese and German?”

Students due to begin their modern languages degrees later this month will be able to complete them, and existing students will also be able to finish their degrees as the cuts are phased in.

False economy

“Cuts to Further and Higher Education are a false economy”, said Smyth, “Stormont needs to look at expenditure on Further and Higher Education as an investment for a better future instead of as an easy target for austerity targets.”

In June, the university announced it planned to shed 210 jobs in 2015/16 and 1,200 student places over the next three years due to funding reductions. It also announced that courses and subject areas would close in response to those cuts.

Approximately 30% of the job losses announced will be in grades represented by Unite, with the remaining 70% being in academic grades.

The impact on reduced numbers of student places will push the entry requirements for both local Universities even higher and lead to ever greater numbers of students to seek degrees outside the region, and at greater cost.

Smyth said: “Unite will work with other unions in the workforce, such as the UCU, to campaign to protect expenditure to support Further and Higher Education.

“We will also continue our direct engagement with political leaders. Only last week, Unite brought a staff delegation to meet with the leadership of the UUP to raise their concerns directly over the impact of funding cuts and outsourcing.”