THE University of York is planning to shed jobs in the wake of growing financial pressures.

University bosses said today they did not yet know how many posts in the directorate of facilities management will go, but strongly denied suggestions made in a call to The Press that the figure could be as high as 350.

They stressed that most jobs would be lost through natural wastage, such as retirement and a freeze on recruiting new staff, but admitted there could be a “few” compulsory redundancies.

A spokesman said the organisation was changing some of its support services, which meant fewer staff posts would be required in future.

“We intend to achieve this reduction through redeployment of staff, a targeted recruitment freeze in those support services, and retirements,” he said.

“It is possible that these changes may include a few compulsory redundancies, but it is too early to say. If there are any, they will be few in number.”

He said the whole process was at a very early stage and so the university did not have a figure for how many posts would be lost.

“We have also not yet identified particular roles that will be lost within the directorate.”

News of the job losses comes just days after City of York Council revealed it is planning a major efficiency review to save £15 million, which could lead to as many as 350 jobs going.

Staff at the university’s facilities management directorate, which employs 655 individuals, carry out a myriad of activities, including cleaning, catering, conferences, fleet and transport management, maintenance, portering, security, supplies and stores.

The spokesman said the university was consulting in detail about the changes with staff and with trade union representatives.

He stressed the number of people employed by the university had been steadily rising in recent years, and it expected the trend to continue. “New jobs will be created on the Heslington East expansion in 2010, for example.”

A caller to The Press said staff had been told up to 350 jobs could be going, and the cuts were planned because the university was not immune to the credit crunch and was facing government cutbacks.

The spokesman said: “All universities are facing pressures in areas including pay, pension contributions and changes to Government funding and we must plan accordingly.”

A spokesman for the Unison union was unavailable for comment.