A UNION has hit out at a cash-strapped college for implementing “unfair and unacceptable” cost saving measures which have resulted in a number of support staff losing their jobs.

UNISON has claimed Darlington College has “ignored the valuable contribution of support staff” after making a number of workers redundant over the summer.

The Northern Echo understands a total of 20 workers either left the college over the summer or are currently facing redundancy, and although a number of those were voluntary redundancies, some have been forced out due to cost saving measures.

Many other admin workers have been moved to ‘term time only’ contracts, while academic employees have had their pay protected – money which is also coming out of the College’s reserve fund – according to UNISON.

The union also claims members of the College’s ‘executive team’ remain on the same pay as when the college was receiving £27m worth of funding, which has been slashed in recent years to just £14m.

However, a spokesperson for Darlington College said they have been able to spread savings across "all areas including management, teaching and support staff as well as non-pay savings" during "very challenging financial times".

Clare Williams, UNISON Northern regional secretary, said: “It seems unjustifiable that support staff are shouldering the majority of the burden of the cuts, while senior executives suffer none.

“We are calling on the College’s chair of governors to re-open negotiations."

A spokesperson for the College added: "Over the summer a number of staff left the College, largely through voluntary redundancy, as the college responded to reduced levels of government funding.

“We have also been able to offer redeployment for some support staff at risk into other posts and we have agreed a new pay scale for teaching staff for the longer term.

"At this point, we are enrolling students and preparing for the new term and there are currently no further plans for redundancies in support services, although we are always aware that our funding and staffing needs change from year to year."

Lecturers and staff from Darlington College carried out a number of protests over the summer over proposals to cut lecturers' wages by up to ten per cent and the collapse of a proposed merger between the college and Stockton Riverside College.

The protests came as the College looks to balance its books in the face of its perilous financial position caused by reduced funding from the government.