University Recovery Plan reveals 190 Jobs to be Cut through a Third Round of Staff Cuts

14:37 A Summary of Events:

Dundee University is preparing to cut around 190 staff posts as part of a new recovery plan approved this week by the Scottish Funding Council (SFC), pushing total staff losses close to 1,000 roles since the institution’s financial crisis became public in late 2024.

The latest round will take the form of voluntary redundancy, not voluntary severance.

Staff were told this morning that individual conversations with departments would take place throughout the day, with the process currently framed as voluntary.

A university spokesperson said Interim-Principal Professor Nigel Seaton is “confident people will come forward.” But if the required number of volunteers is not reached, the university would in theory need to move into a compulsory redundancy process.

Principal Seaton said that “additional savings will have to come from staff costs,” confirming that the university has now entered collective consultation with campus unions over the proposals.

The 190‑post reduction comes after two major voluntary severance schemes:

• VS1 (2025): 282 staff (240.3 FTE)
• VS2 (2026): 134 staff (114.4 FTE)

If the new 190‑post target is measured in headcount rather than FTE, staff losses could reach 1,000 people in under two years; more than a quarter of the pre‑crisis workforce.

The university’s own Strategy to Recovery (StR) confirms the scale of the crisis, noting that staffing has already fallen from 3,432 people to 2,757 between August 2024 and May 2026.

Thats 675 people.

One staff member described the handling of the announcement as chaotic.

Molly Wilson, a third‑year History student who works in the University Enquiry Centre, said:

“The communication about redundancy has been an absolute mess. Staff who have worked here for years… have been told their jobs are at risk. All they have been left with is uncertainty.”

Staff were reportedly invited to a Teams calls with dozens of colleagues and told simultaneously that their roles were “at risk”.

Unions have sharply criticised senior management for a lack of consultation. DUCU said it did not see the recovery plan before it was submitted to Court and the SFC.

Members have already staged 28 days of strike action in the past year over cuts and governance failures.

Staff have now voted again for further industrial action “to defend jobs and against possible compulsory redundancies,” said DUCU co‑chair Melissa D’Ascenzio.

Why the Cuts Are Happening:

The StR sets out the financial reality facing the institution.

The university must reduce its recurring annual cost base by approximately £20m by July 2027 to remain viable. The plan states:

“The entirety of the University’s cost base must be considered for reduction… the bulk of further savings will need to come from staff costs.”

The StR outlines key financial pressures. They include:

• A 33.9% collapse in international student numbers since 2023/24
• Years of underinvestment in digital and physical infrastructure
• A breach of bank covenants in 2024
• Reliance on £40m of emergency SFC funding, without which the university would have had “zero unrestricted cash balances” this year
• An external auditor warning of a “material uncertainty” over the university’s ability to continue as a going concern beyond July 2027 unless savings are delivered

The plan also notes that income growth alone cannot close the gap: Dundee would need to grow revenue by £50–£60m: “well beyond what is feasible” in the current market.

As the document states, the roots of the crisis “extend far deeper,” with income growth lagging behind costs for over ten years and operating cash flows sitting 20% below capital spending despite “chronic underinvestment in the physical and digital infrastructure.”

The Gillies Report later concluded that the collapse was not inevitable, but accelerated by failures of oversight and leadership.

The StR makes clear that the next three years are about keeping the institution alive long enough to rebuild.

12:20 “Additional savings have to come from Staff Costs” says Interim- Principal

“We have made progress in recuring non-staff spending, and this has already been substantially reduced,” said Principal Seaton.

“We will make further cuts in this area, but there is a limit to how much further we can go, so the greater part of the additional saving will have to come from staff costs.

“Today we are beginning a period of collective consultation with the campus unions about proposals for our future organisational structure, how these would be implemented, and the impact this may have on some jobs.”

He added that these were proposals rather than final decisions and could change following consultation.

11:18 Staff Informed of Further Cuts to Workforce

Interim-Principal Professor Nigel Seaton told STV:

“We have informed staff that we are moving into collective consultation on proposals to reduce staffing by around 190 posts, split equally across our academic and professional services communities,”

“Over the last 18 months we have taken vigorous action to address our financial situation, including two rounds of voluntary severance, introducing tighter financial controls, freezing non-essential recruitment and limiting our operational expenditure.”

11:00 190 Jobs to be Cut through a Third Round of Voluntary Severance

It has been revealed that 190 posts will be cut through a third round of voluntary severance.

Hundreds of staff have already left since the crisis began.

290 FTE roles were cut in the first round of voluntary severance.

125.92 have been approved for voluntary severance in the last round, which was announced earlier this year.

With this round, the total staff departures is estimated to be taken up to around 1000 in under two years, through voluntary severance or other means.

09:00: Recovery Plan will be Revealed Today

Today, University of Dundee will reveal their ‘strategy for recovery’ plan, with many fearing a further 250 jobs could be cut as the University seeks to save £20m annually.

Since July 2024, available figures suggest around 680 full-time equivalent posts have left, or will leave, Dundee University.

Staff have again voted for further strike action to “defend jobs and against possible compulsory redundancies” said DUCU co-chair Melissa D’Ascenzio.

With the SFC approving the plan the next stage of the process is expected to include consultation with trade unions over potential changes.

However, DUCU have criticised the University intensely for a lack of consultation surrounding the latest plan, saying they were not shown it before it was submitted to Court.

DUCU believe the threat of compulsory redundancies remains possible.

The conditions of funding set by the SFC required the University to rule out compulsory redundancies until a three-year recovery plan is in place.

The three-year recovery plan has now been approved by Court and the SFC. This means that if approved by the SFC, the University can carry out compulsory redundancies.

Chair of Court, Esther Roberson said:

“The Court acknowledged the lingering uncertainty and anxiety for staff, which has gone on for too long through this crisis.

“You all deserve clarity on the path forward, even though it involves some difficult decisions, and I hope you will have that soon.”

The plan is expected to be revealed today. The Jute Journal will provide updates on what the plan contains, and what this means for students, staff, and the local community.