Up to 100 jobs could be cut at the City of Glasgow College in a bid to tackle a £6 million deficit.
The move has been described as a "last resort" as the college looks to tackle a "substantial real-terms" cut to college funding in Scotland.
There has been a £26m loss from the sector's budget with bosses pointing to “real-term funding cuts, rising inflation, spiralling energy costs, and increased staff costs” for the job cuts.
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A letter sent to staff outlined that £6m savings had already been made through freezing vacancies and voluntary redundancies but a multi-million-pound gap still remains.
Around 80 per cent of the college's spending is on staff, according to bosses who are now looking to cut a further 75 employees. A consultation process has been launched and will last 45 days.
Principal and CEO of City of Glasgow College, Paul Little, said: “The loss yesterday of £26m from the college sector’s budget further compounds significant financial pressures from real-term funding cuts, rising inflation, spiralling energy costs, and increased staff costs.
“Given the scale of the funding challenges, the college has a substantial multi-year forecast budget deficit to address.
“Despite these budgetary improvements, we are also forced to address a funding shortfall of £6m next year and, regrettably, have exhausted all other possibilities except the last resort of proposing 75 compulsory redundancies, subject to consultation with our staff and trade unions.
“When colleges thrive, Scotland’s economy thrives and we are at the forefront of tackling skills shortages and closing skills gaps.
"Emerging from the pandemic, Scotland’s public finances are under significant pressure. Colleges have always been resilient and adaptive tertiary institutions and will adjust to this new reality."
A spokesperson for the Educational Institute of Scotland and the Further Lecturer’s Association said the union was given "no prior insight" of what management outlined in their letter or the business case behind the proposals.
They added: "Whilst we are appalled that the Scottish Government has clawed back the promised additional £26m funding to the FE sector, on top of a flat rate funding cash cut, City of Glasgow College has also made many financial decisions that have caused money to be diverted from the main purpose of the college: to provide further education for the people of Glasgow.
“EIS-FELA has confirmed that they are seeking legal advice as industrial action at City of Glasgow College ramps up next week with specific, targeted, actions including lecturers refusing to cover for staffing cuts that have already been made.”
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