By James HoreA COLLEGE is to make more than 30 staff redundant as part of a “restructuring” exercise.The shake-up at Braintree College will see the creation of about 24 new posts, but there will also be a loss of 31 existing jobs.
By James Hore
A COLLEGE is to make more than 30 staff redundant as part of a “restructuring” exercise.
The shake-up at Braintree College will see the creation of about 24 new posts, but there will also be a loss of 31 existing jobs.
Staff and unions have been told they have until the middle of November to come up with an alternative proposal if they are not happy with the move.
It follows an announcement earlier this year that the college would not be giving its staff a pay increase because of a budget shortfall running into hundreds of thousands of pounds.
Jacquie Watts, principal of Braintree College, said: “We have taken the difficult decision to restructure the college now so that we can grow properly in the future.
“College finances are tight this year and we need to ensure that the college is as financially efficient as it can be so that in future years we can invest in new programmes and resources for students.”
She added: “The college wants an open dialogue with its staff and recognised unions so that together we can agree up on the right structure for the college for the next five years or so.
“We think the current proposal has merit, but we need to know what staff think about it. The potential loss of 31 jobs, even if it is only a reduction of seven posts overall, is a serious matter and it is likely that there will be some redundancies as a result of this process.”
George Hill, the chairman of the governors, said they were supporting the changes.
“The decision to restructure the college was not taken lightly, but we believe that it is an important next step in delivering the college's new strategic plan and ensuring that the quality of provision that the college is noted for is maintained and enhanced still further,” he added.
But David Brierley, branch secretary of the university and college lecturers' union NATFHE, said its members had been shocked by the announcement.
“This only landed on our desk yesterday afternoon and we have taken it up with our area representative and they are looking at it, it is at an early stage at the moment,” he added.
james.hore@eadt.co.uk
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