College bosses to resist further job cuts

THIRD-LEVEL bosses are set to resist attempts to cut further jobs as figures obtained by the Irish Examiner show that some colleges have already reduced staffing by almost 10% in the last two years.

The Higher Education Authority (HEA) reported last month that a 7% reduction brought staff numbers at almost 30 state-funded institutions to around 18,000. A more detailed breakdown reveals that almost half of the 1,400-plus posts were shed at three of the largest colleges.

All colleges were required to reduce personnel by 6% in that period, and most have been achieved through the non-filling of vacancies created by retirements, although a significant proportion can be attributed to the non-renewal of contracts.