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University Staff Face Massive Jobs Cuts |
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By News
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Friday, 19 February 2010 |
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180 staff at Oulu University face losing their jobs as part of a plan to save six million euros a year.
The university, which has 3000 employees, will mainly reduce its administrative and support staff. However, a number of teaching posts are also likely to be slashed. The university will also cut back on various facilities which it offers, such as the Language Centre.
At present, two thirds of the university’s costs are staff related. It has been compelled to make cutbacks because central government has reduced its budget by about nine million euros.
According to Ian Dobson, of University World News, part of the problem is a new salary scheme which was introduced at the university a few years ago. This performance related pay led to what he describes as a ‘salary blow-out’ which the university lacks the resources to fund.
The cuts are likely to have a particularly strong impact of the Department of Education, the Language Centre and the Department of Information Technology.
Asko Pekkarinen, the University Lecturer’s Union representative at Oulu University, told 65DN of his surprise at the Education Department being targeted. ‘We are very surprised,’ said the academic, himself an education lecturer. ‘We are a very successful department. Our teacher education is award winning.’
‘The problem is that our department is based both in Oulu and Kajaani. Having it in two places is expensive but the Education Ministry does not take that into account in the budget. It has not given the university as much money as it thought it would get.’
He stressed that, at the moment, negotiations had just started. ‘We don’t know how many cuts there will be but it’s quite evident that there will be cuts amongst the teaching staff. It’s a massive number of cuts,’ he added.
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