The decision by the management of the University of Ulster to cut 450 posts will decimate the university and will have a major impact on staff and students. It will be staff and students who will suffer the consequences of yet another short-sighted action by those charged with the responsibility of protecting and safeguarding jobs and student numbers.

As a student at the University of Ulster, every day I experience the skills and dedication of the staff. It is due to their knowledge and commitment that the university has earned the highly regarded international reputation that management are so proud to boast about in their advertising and marketing materials, and in their frequent attendance at international conferences where no expense is spared.

According to the BBC, a spokesperson for the university said: “Ulster University has sought to hold off on making redundancies while continuing to work with the Department for the Economy …It has recently been made clear to us that a sustainable funding model is not going to be forthcoming and, regretfully, we must now act to reduce our costs.”

A spokesperson for the Department for the Economy said finances are “extremely challenging”, as they urged the government in Westminster to deliver a “sustainable funding model”. Meanwhile the Minister, Sinn Féin’s Caoimhe Archibald, as usual, blamed the British for lack of monies, a predictable response.

In our response to John O’Dowd’s proposed 2026-29 Budget, the Workers Party identified over £500 million in potential annual revenue or savings that could be brought to the public purse through the removal of commercial and domestic rates reliefs and removal of completely unnecessary consultancy fees.

Of course, more money for Stormont will have no effect on most people if the extra money goes to the private sector. The Workers Party is in the fight for a society where the producers of value are in democratic control of the social surplus which currently, in the form of profit, goes into the bank accounts and lifestyles of the people who own our jobs and manage our institutions.

The Workers Party stands in solidarity with the staff and students who will be forced to fight for the survival of an education system that puts the education of current and future students first. The decimation of the University will have a particularly devastating impact on working class students, who should think carefully about who they support and vote for in future elections.