UNITED KINGDOM

UK: 6,000 lecturers facing redundancy, says union

Up to 6,000 lecturers are being axed by universities to cut costs in the recession, according to a survey by the University and College Union, writes Anthea Lipsett for The Guardian. The findings come as employers offered a final pay rise of 0.5% to staff - far short of the 8% sought by union officials.

The University and College Employers Association, Ucea, said the offer was "realistic" in current circumstances, but University College Union (UCU) officials called it "miserly".

UCU's poll suggests that 5,891 jobs across the UK are at risk or being cut, revealing the damage of the recession on further and higher education. Some of the UK's most established universities are culling hundreds of staff, according to UCU, with 4,593 jobs cuts expected in universities and 1,298 in colleges.
Full report on The Guardian site