Bradford College has announced that it will be firing 107 staff in order to balance the books. They noted the impact the virus has had on their ability to raise money. They also noted that they had been denied the government’s assistance, which could have gone a long way in mitigating their financial crisis.
Coronavirus economic impact has hit learning institutions hard, with many having to make decisions that involve furloughing workers and even going to the extreme of firing staff to balance the books. Such was the case with Bradford College, which has announced that they will be laying off 107 workers.
Bradford college Firing decision
In a statement released by the college, they said that they were saddened that they were letting people, who had worked tirelessly during the entire coronavirus period, leave. The 107 staff members were also commended for their efforts in doing everything in their power to ensure that the education continued.
However, Bradford college noted, the decision had to be made to ensure they were able to balance the books and kept the school running. Before the announcement, the school had applied for financial support from Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA), which was rejected. To meet their financial obligation, they, therefore, needed to reduce costs.
Financial struggles
The decisions will ensure that the school is able to save over £1.5m, and the school said this money will go into repaying debts and keeping the school afloat amid the pandemic.
Not everyone bought into their story, with unions criticizing the move to fire the staff. Unions have come out strongly against the firing of the staff and have indicated that the decision might have been hastily made.
Julie Kelley from the University and College Union said the firing was a ‘knee jerk reaction’ that will end up affecting students who will be returning back to schools. She said the college should have been more patient with the government’s aid.
She, however, indicated that although she did not agree with the decision to fire the staff, she understood why Bradford College was doing it. She noted the impact of the virus on the economy and how schools have not been able to get their usually high enrollment numbers for the next academic year. This has resulted in the distress the schools are currently going through.
