Strike threat greets Southampton scheme to dump courses

Lecturers are ready to strike at Southampton Institute in protest at plans to scrap key humanities courses and cut at least 22 academic posts following shortfalls in student recruitment.

Despite the cuts, part of a long-running survival plan, the institute will still face a deficit of £1 million at the end of the financial year.

Managers claim the axeing of politics, social sciences and some maritime provision is "the minimum necessary if we are to have a secure future as an independent higher education institution".

Lecturers' union Natfhe claims the redundancies, some of which are expected to be compulsory, are avoidable, and has accused the institute of targeting trade union activists. Natfhe spokesman Dave Fysh said that staff were furious that principal Roger Brown has recently been awarded an 11.8 per cent pay rise, taking his salary to £114,000.

Dr Brown has told staff that there had been a fall in enrolments "as overall student demand has levelled off and longer established institutions have taken a larger share". He said that central management posts had also been cut and that it was a coincidence that several union representatives were in the politics department.