Hundreds of jobs are at risk at a major employer (Image: Swansea University) Swansea University is consulting on shedding 55 academic posts across a wide range of subjects as it grapples with its budget. The UCU union has warned in response that it will not rule out balloting members on industrial action. A formal consultation has been launched on the cuts and compulsory redundancies cannot be ruled out, although that would be a last resort, the university said. Swansea, which has 1,043 academic posts, said it was looking at a pool of 204 from which to shed 55 roles. A spokesperson clarified that no departments have been singled out for closure and no staff members have received potential redundancy letters as yet, reports WalesOnline. The areas directly affected are understood to be the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Health and Life Science and Faculty of Science and Engineering. This announcement comes a month after Swansea introduced a voluntary severance scheme for non-academic staff just before Christmas. In September, the university announced cuts of £30 million for …