More than 100 jobs could go in Aberdeen University cuts

More than 100 jobs could be lost at Aberdeen University as part of a £10m savings plan.

The university court - its highest governing body - says the institution faces "stark" challenges and will open an early retirement and voluntary redundancy scheme next week.

It says while compulsory redundancies remain a last resort, they cannot be ruled out.

The measures were agreed at a court meeting and are contained in an email to staff from principal Peter Edwards and interim senior governor Gary McRae, seen by BBC Scotland News.

Staff represented by the University and College Union (UCU) went on strike last month over the cost-saving measures.

It was the latest in a series of walkouts in the ongoing dispute.

In the email, staff were told the total "reduction in academic workforce" could be up to 111 full-time roles.

It added: "Importantly, however, the focus of the decision made by court was to reduce our costs, not to reduce our workforce by a specific number.

"The challenges we and the rest of our sector face is stark."

The university reopened a voluntary severance and early retirement scheme last year in a bid to find £5.5m in savings.

It also announced a freeze on recruitment and asked departments to identify other measures to save money.

A total of 41 people took up an offer of a severance package or early retirement during that round of cuts, the university told BBC Scotland News last month.

In a statement, Prof Edwards said: "Decisive action is needed to protect the future of our university and allow us to return to a more stable footing to grow and succeed in a way that meets the needs of the communities we serve."

It is the latest in a series of major cost-saving measures announced in Scotland's higher education sector.

The University of Edinburgh announced it was to seek £140m in cuts to tackle financial difficulties in February last year.

The Scottish government bailed out Dundee University with £40m of emergency funding in a bid to help it through its own financial challenges.

Strikes over cost-cutting have also taken place at Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh, while Strathclyde University announced plans to cut 70 jobs in December.