More than 100 jobs will have been lost in NUI Galway in the space of two years, while 39 jobs will have been lost from GMIT, new figures from the Higher Education Authority (HEA ) have revealed.
The Employment Control Framework was implemented in December 2008 and under the guidelines, colleges are obliged to have cut staff by six per cent in the two years from January 2009 to December 2010.
The posts mainly affected include vacancies which have remained unfilled following retirement and the termination of temporary contracts. Under the framework colleges are unable to attain the six per cent reduction by not replacing staff on lower grades.
Job losses at other universities include UCC (116.5 ), Trinity College Dublin (115.5 ), UL (67 ), and DCU (57.5 ). Figures for job losses at ITs are as follows: DIT (124 ), Cork IT (58 ), WIT (50.5 ), Limerick IT (28.5 ), Letterkenny IT (21 ), and Tralee IT (19 ).
General secretary of the Irish Federation of University Teachers Mike Jennings said the job losses would put a considerable strain on college resources at a most inopportune time with demand for places at an all time high.
The HEA has stated that while regular monitoring of the situation is essential, the lowering of staffing numbers shows that universities and institutes are making significant efforts to cut costs.
