City university issued 91 pay-offs in five years

FIGURES released by Cardiff University show that more than 90 employees received severance pay totalling more than £3.1m over a five-year period.

In a disclosure to the University and College Union (UCU), the university said that 91 settlement agreements had been completed in the five years to September 2016 at a total cost of £3,117,517.38.

Of those leaving, 52 were female and 39 male. A breakdown by department showed that 55 of the leavers were from the College of Biomedical and Life Sciences, 24 from Professional Services, 7 from the College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences, and five from the College of Physical Sciences and Engineering.

No reference to job losses in the College of Biomedical and Life Sciences could be found on the university’s website.

A Cardiff University spokesman said: “The number of [settlement agreements] cases and the amount spent by the university over the last five years should be seen in context. The university employs some 7,000 staff and spends about £277m every year on staff salaries. In this context, the number of settlement agreements and total amount spent is relatively small equating to around 0.3% of the annual staff costs.”

In September Cardiff University confirmed that it was offering academic staff voluntary severance in a move it says will enable it to focus on “strategic priorities”.

Confirming it is offering all academic staff, among its total 7,000 workforce, the opportunity to apply for voluntary severance, the university said: “Cardiff University is offering eligible academic staff an opportunity to apply for severance under a voluntary scheme. The scheme won’t necessarily mean a reduction in head count, its aim is to enable the university to invest in staffing and infrastructure.” The scheme is open until December 13.