Gilruth: Dundee University officials ‘working at pace’ to bring job losses down

Dundee University officials are “working at pace” to bring the number of proposed job losses down after the previous figure was “unpalatable” to ministers, the Education Secretary has said.

As she visited researchers at the Dundee institution, Jenny Gilruth said no job losses would be acceptable but acknowledged the need to be “pragmatic”.

Ms Gilruth said the Scottish Government is looking at providing further support in order to ensure job losses can be kept to a minimum.

The Government has already provided £22 million in liquidity support.

I don't think any job losses would be acceptable to ministers, but we have to be pragmatic here about the challenges facing the institution, and they are significant

As the university wrestles with the financial crisis which was revealed earlier this year, the institution proposed job cuts which would affect about 700 people.

This has angered unions and ministers want to see this figure reduced.

On Tuesday, Ms Gilruth announced the membership of an external taskforce which will advise the university on its financial challenges.

She visited the university’s school of life sciences and spoke to researchers working on treatments for conditions like Parkinson’s disease.

Speaking to journalists, Ms Gilruth said: “We are looking at a range of different options, the only ask from the university thus far is the liquidity support of £22 million, that has been met in full.

“However we have been perfectly open as a Government to say that we want to support the university to have that thriving future.”

Ms Gilruth said she hoped to announce more in the coming weeks on further support.

The job losses proposed in the university’s financial recovery plan are “not palatable to ministers, so we’re asking the university to think again”.

She added: “So, they are working at pace with the Scottish Funding Council on different proposals to bring the total quantum of job losses down.

“And we are looking at what more support we might be able to provide to allow them to do that.”

Asked how many job losses would be acceptable, she said: “I don’t think any job losses would be acceptable to ministers, but we have to be pragmatic here about the challenges facing the institution, and they are significant.”

She said she had confidence in the university’s current executive team, led by interim principal Professor Shane O’Neill.

Ms Gilruth also declined to comment on a suggestion she may lose her Government job in a coming reshuffle, while saying she welcomed the support from Deputy First Minister Kate Forbes on the Dundee University issue.