STAFF at Central Bedfordshire College are said to be “angry and upset” after news of restructure proposals that seem set to mean job losses.
They fear that the planned changearound could lead to about 50 jobs being axed.
Consultation is now being carried out on the controversial plan.
One staff member who contacted the Gazette described the proposals as “a jobs massacre”.
The employee said: “Teaching and non-teaching staff have been informed that they are going to suffer massive job cuts in the next few months.”
And the worker said “the anger spilled over” at a packed meeting.
This week, the college said that most of the staff supported the proposed restructure plan.
It says there will be “a small number of redundancies” to deal with funding changes, and that where practical, they would be on a voluntary basis in the first instance.
The college has said that the planned changes have arisen from meetings over the past year about how it should develop in the future.
Government funding cuts are understood to be another factor.
A regional official for the University and College Union said: “At the moment, our members are angry and upset that they are potentially going to lose their jobs in the current climate.
“They don’t believe they are responsible for the government’s difficulties and feel they should not be paying with their jobs.
“UCU will be exploring all options with the employer to try to avoid redundancies being made.”
Talks were continuing with the college. “It is very early days yet in terms of us being able to determine what the outcome of these talks are going to be,” she said.
College principal and chief executive Ali Hadawi said: “During the past year, the senior management team at Central Bedfordshire College have held extensive meetings with students, staff and governors of the college, as well as local employers, to look at the shape of the college now, and how we can best develop it, to ensure that our students and the community as a whole remain the core focus of the college.
“As a result of these meetings and the national changes in educational funding, a new management structure has been proposed and the college has now entered into a 30-day consultation period.
“During this time, staff and students have been invited to discuss the proposed changes and suggest alternative options with members of the senior management team.
“The ethos behind the changes is one of establishing a structure that meets the needs of the college now and in the future.
“Meetings that have been held to date show that the majority of staff support the structural changes.
“This, coupled with reshaping the curriculum to meet local and regional needs, will place the college in a strong position moving forwards.
“As a result of these structural changes, there will be a small number of redundancies to mitigate the impact of funding alterations for the future, but where practical these will be voluntary in the first instance.”