Aberdeen University says further talks needed on staffing budget
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Louise Hosie
BBC Scotland
BBC
UCU members have been taking part in strike action
Further talks are needed on future staffing budgets as part of cost-cutting measures, the University of Aberdeen has said.
It is hoping to make £12m in savings in the next two years.
Staff began strike action earlier this month over restructuring plans, a refusal to rule out compulsory redundancies and pausing recruitment to some courses.
The university court - the institution's highest governing body - has approved plans to restructure its academic model from 12 schools into four faculties. It also backed plans to withdraw postgraduate courses which have fewer than six students.
The university says the court will meet again at the earliest opportunity to set student-to-staff ratios, which will determine future budgets - and whether redundancies will be required.
The University and College Union (UCU) said it had not been properly consulted on the university's savings plan.
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On Thursday, the university said its court had approved the first stage of measures to tackle its deficit after extensive discussions.
A spokesperson said: "A proposal to move to a four-faculty structure was strongly endorsed by court and will now progress through appropriate governance processes.
"We have also paused recruitment on postgraduate-taught programmes which consistently attracted small numbers of students.
"Proposals relating to future staffing budgets - informed by student staff ratios - will be discussed at an upcoming meeting of court."
Protests have been ongoing in Aberdeen in the face of feared cuts
The university
reopened a voluntary severance and early retirement scheme last year
in a bid to find £5.5m in savings.
It also froze recruitment, and asked departments to identify other measures to save money.
The university recently confirmed 41 people took up an offer of a severance package or early retirement.
Elsewhere, Edinburgh University announced
£140m of cuts to tackle financial difficulties
, while the
Scottish government bailed out Dundee University with £40m
of emergency funding.
The Scottish government has said it wants a "successful and sustainable future" for higher education.
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