Further strikes are on the cards for Richmond College after lecturers said proposed job cuts would be detrimental to students.

The call for industrial action was made after teachers voted 179 to 1 to express their lack of confidence in the college’s principal David Ansell.

They have hit out at suggestions 50 posts will be scrapped and replaced with lower paid jobs, and plans for up to 15 redundancies as a way for the college to claw back £3m in savings.

David Carrier, chairman of the college’s branch of the University and College Union (UCU), said: “We were promised we would spend the year negotiating changes. Instead he [the principal] has just driven them through.

“He has ignored virtually every alternative presented.

“People are very angry and very upset.”

Mr Carrier said the proposed changes would lead to teachers having less time to complete managerial tasks and they would face increased class sizes.

He added: “Students are bound to suffer.

“There will be more teaching done and less managing of the courses.”

A half-day strike was held by more than 200 college teachers in May after it was revealed up to 80 jobs could be cut in an attempt to balance the college's books after funding was lost due to a drop in enrolment numbers for 2009/2010 academic year.

However, UCU claim the 8 per cent admittance drop was a result of mismanagement and teachers and students have been made to pay.

Mr Carrier said: “The senior managers didn’t even know they had under-recruited until it was too late to do anything about it."

He criticised Mr Ansell for not taking a pay cut despite being paid about £150,000 annually - more than the Prime Minister - and for awarding pay rises to two of his vice principals despite planning redundancies.

Ballot papers are currently being prepared for union members to vote on the possibility of further industrial action.

However, Mr Ansell has hit back at the accusations claiming that although class sizes would grow they were already below national average and the maximum for class numbers has not changed from 24.

He stressed the number of job cuts proposed was not yet known and would depend on savings made throughout the year, adding he hoped voluntary redundancies and "natural wastage" would help reduce the number of compulsory cuts.

Mr Ansell also claimed the decision not to replace a recently retired vice principal had meant the senior team now costs more than 20 per cent less than it did previously.

The college principal said: “Savings have already been made without the need for compulsory redundancies and both governors and I are committed to avoiding future compulsory redundancies if possible.

“I have taken into account the suggestions put forward by the unions and where viable am acting on their proposals.”