Around 150 staff and supporters of Bangor University gathered by the War Memorial on Deiniol Road in Bangor yesterday afternoon to protest against proposed compulsory redundancies.
Organised by trade unions including UCU and Unison, the demonstration brought together lecturers, academic support staff, students, and alumni.
Bangor University formally announced plans to cut 78 jobs as part of a strategy to address a £5.3 million budget shortfall in a letter sent to staff on 14 May.
The news that Vice‑Chancellor Professor Edmund Burke received a 13% pay rise in 2024, bringing his salary to approximately £273,000 was branded “eye‑watering” by Unions and described as “a kick in the teeth” to staff who have sacrificed pay increases and face job losses.
An anonymous UCU member, who lost her post after a fixed‑term contract was not renewed, told reporters: “It is a real kick in the teeth to see the Vice‑Chancellor get a pay rise in excess of my entire salary.”
Signs at the rally echoed union demands for the VC to reverse the pay rise and for the university to rule out compulsory redundancies. Unison representatives confirmed the Senedd has been briefed on the crisis, and a meeting is scheduled in Cardiff in the coming days to press for urgent intervention.
Critics warn that cuts at Bangor risk undermining teaching quality, academic research, and the university’s cultural role as a Welsh-language and community hub. Trade unions emphasise that, unlike other Welsh universities, Bangor’s leaders have not put a brake on high executive pay during a tense budgetary period.
The Member of the Senedd for Arfon, Siân Gwenllian, was unable to attend the event but her statement was read out by Dr. Vivek Thuppil of the UCU Bangor branch. In her message, Ms Gwenllian expressed deep frustration and disappointment at recent developments, particularly the news of a pay rise awarded to the Vice-Chancellor amid the threat of staff redundancies.
Siân Gwenllian said: “The news this week of a pay rise for the Vice-Chancellor has only added insult to injury. It is difficult to comprehend how such an insensitive decision could be made, especially given the current circumstances. As the Senedd Member for Arfon, I have repeatedly witnessed the devastating impact that cuts to higher education have — on staff, on students, and on our communities as a whole.
“I speak to you today as staff at Bangor University face uncertainty, while hearing that the Vice-Chancellor is to receive a pay rise — a decision that is both unacceptable and deeply insensitive, particularly in the current climate.
“These cuts are not inevitable. They are the result of years of chronic underfunding. For 25 years, the Labour Welsh Government has failed to put higher education on a sustainable footing. They have cut budgets year after year, despite repeated warnings from staff, unions, and elected representatives. The so-called transformation fund has proven to be nothing more than smoke and mirrors.
“Bangor University is a national institution, built through the sacrifice of ordinary people — quarrymen and farmers who believed in the power of education to transform lives. It stands not only as a centre of learning, but as a cornerstone of the Welsh language, our culture, and our identity. If we allow this institution to be undermined, we fail not only today’s staff and students, but also future generations.
“Plaid Cymru has been clear: we need a national strategy to secure the future of our universities. We need urgent action to halt compulsory redundancies. We need a government that values education as an investment, not a cost.
“I’m sorry that I can’t be with you in person today, but I would like to assure you that I have taken your voices directly to the Vice-Chancellor. I have taken them to the Senedd. And I will continue to press the Welsh Government to act — to provide real support, not empty words.
“Because the time for vague promises is over. The time for action is now.”
