| Some universities are even talking in terms of sacking staff to pay for what may be a pay deal of 13.1%, although the lecturer’s union has already rejected the offer, over three years, which has been made by the University Colleges Employers’ Association.
The acrimonious dispute, which has affected student examinations and subsequent degrees, has also led to some universities, including Dundee’s Abertay, to dock the pay of those lecturers who withdrew their labour and refused to mark exam papers.
A spokeswoman for Dundee University said the pay deal, plus higher pension costs and annual pay increments, would push up staff salary costs by around 3%. The combined effect of that was that staff costs would be expected to rise by around 9% in 2006-07.
She said the university could not put precise figures on how many posts might have to lie vacant if frozen, since they were still working out their budget for next year, but a number of prestigious building projects would have to be put on hold.
Among the temporary casualties might be a £4 million investment at the university Riverside sports ground.
At Riverside, two state-of-the-art artificial grass pitches for hockey and six five-a-side outdoor pitches were planned, with a new pavilion with changing rooms and a social area to be established. Buildings and pitches were due to open later this year at a cost of £4 million.
Another project put on hold may be the creation of the campus green, which would have sprung from the demolition of the former jam factory and crumbling squash courts at the heart of the campus.
However, a £3.6 million development of the campus sports complex will go ahead. It is been planned to spend heavily on new hockey pitches, floodlit five-a-side pitches, a new fitness suite and three squash courts which would be available for staff as well as students.
The campus development includes a fitness suite covering 450 square metres, and a large range of training equipment including extensive cardiovascular training provision.
There would be two teaching rooms, one of them for trainee teachers involved in PE and the other housing the university’s innovative exercise programme for cardiac and diabetes rehabilitation.
Capital projects on which work has already started such as a new teaching block and library extension will continue.
Meanwhile, the university said today that a university court sub committee was monitoring the pay dispute ramifications closely, and there may be further announcements soon.
It is understood that Glasgow University is poised to follow the Robert Gordon and Abertay lead and deduct cash from lecturers involved in the dispute. Dundee said today that, as yet, no steps had been taken in that direction. |
