ACADEMICS are in dispute with a university being forced to make massive cuts - saying specific staff are being targeted.
The University and Colleges Union (UCU) claimed Ulster University (UU) had not properly consulted about redundancies.
The university has had its annual budget reduced by almost £9 million, forcing it to shed about 1,200 student places and 210 staff.
UU hopes to achieve job losses through voluntary redundancies but unions have questioned this, saying entire departments are facing closure.
The union said employers were required to consult meaningfully with a view to reaching agreement on a set of fair and equitable proposals.
It added that management presented its proposals, which included the loss of significant proportions of staff in targeted areas, as "a fait accompli".
"UCU are deeply saddened to have been forced into declaring a dispute with the university but we cannot stand by and allow our management to steamroller through a set of proposals that lack rationale, unfairly target colleagues in particular areas, and threaten the breadth of education we offer to our young people," said UCU's Anthea Irwin.
A UU spokeswoman said unions were advised of its proposals in August as part of the consultation process and in advance of meeting staff in affected areas.
"Following this meeting a further follow up consultation meeting with the joint unions was requested by UCU. This meeting was arranged and held on 16 September. Whilst this was attended by Unite representatives, UCU declined to attend," she said.
"The university remains fully committed to meeting its obligations in terms of the consultation process and statutory requirements."
