University seeking £10m of savings launches voluntary resignation scheme

University of Bradford staff are being asked to consider voluntarily resignation, in return for a pay-off.

The university has confirmed that it has begun a Mutually Agreed Resignation Scheme (MARS). This allows staff, in agreement with their employer, to opt to give up their job in return for a severance payment.

Last month the university said it planned to make £10m of savings in the next year. The university currently has more than 1,500 staff and nearly 10,000 students.

A university spokesman told the BBC: “The University of Bradford has launched a mutually agreed resignation scheme (MARS) for staff who wish to leave the organisation.

“As this process is ongoing, we are unable to comment further at this time.”

Although MARS is not a redundancy scheme, unions have expressed concern that once employees leave they are not always replaced and their work is shared out among remaining staff.

Last month, the university explained it had been “forced” to respond to “the harsh realties of balancing rising costs against a fall in income.”

A spokesman said the university intended to make savings to its underlying cost base of about £10m over the next financial year, by reducing staff costs and cutting operational expenses.