College bosses to resist further job cuts
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.
At University College Dublin, the 236.11 fall in staff numbers up to the end of last year is understood to represent around 9% of staffing when targets were set by the HEA and the Department of Education at the start of 2009.
A spokeswoman said its own figures put the reduction at 285 jobs, down to just below 3,100 at the end of 2010.
“The fall in staff numbers at a time when student numbers have been increasing has put considerable strain on staff. However, there has been a great deal of support within the Croke Park framework and through other forms of flexibility and productivity,” she said.
Dublin Institute of Technology has also significantly surpassed the 6% target, with almost 230 fewer staff, while University College Cork has seen a fall of more than 170 from its payroll.
The job reductions are not all in whole numbers as they include former staff who had been in part-time, job-sharing or other positions and were not replaced.
The smallest reduction of just two posts was at Institute of Technology Blanchardstown where allowances were made for a high proportion of positions that were already vacant when the 6% target was set.
A HEA spokesperson said most colleges have achieved or almost reached that target and the figures are a further sign of how the higher education sector has more than delivered on its requirement to help reduce the public service pay bill.
An estimated €80 million a year has been cut from the colleges’ costs as a result.
However, as Government departments pursue further savings for the 2012 budget, the HEA and representatives of the universities and institutes of technology are arguing to the Department of Education that they have already done their fair share.
The biggest impact at most colleges has been on administration and student services, as some exceptions to employment controls have been allowed for academic posts. Although these restrictions were further eased last month, the Irish Federation of University Teachers (IFUT) warned that further job cuts are unsustainable as staff cope with a 15% rise in full-time student numbers in three years, to almost 160,000.
“The only reason quality (of education) hasn’t already been impacted on is because people are making superhuman efforts and any more tinkering around with the system at a time of huge increases in students is a recipe for disaster,” said IFUT general secretary Mike Jennings.
In contrast, a range of cuts in primary and second level schools will still leave them with just over 300 fewer teachers next autumn as rising pupil numbers will be matched by classroom teachers. The net saving of €24m this year is just 0.6% of the Department of Education’s budget of almost €3.9 billion for more than 60,000 teachers’ salaries.
