The University and College Union (UCU) Scotland has warned the principal of the University of Edinburgh that strikes and other forms of industrial action are a real possibility if senior management don’t roll back on threats of £140million cuts and take compulsory redundancies off the table.
UCU members at the university were asked in a consultative ballot if they would be willing to take strike action if the university didn’t rule out compulsory redundancies. In a turnout of 59%, easily beating the anti-trade union threshold, 75% of members voting said that they would be willing to strike.
85% said that they would also take part in action short of strike which could include working to contract and refusing to cover for absent colleagues or undertake voluntary duties. If the same vote was repeated in a statutory ballot, which could open in the coming weeks, then the university will face the possibility of strikes and other action on campus.
The consultative ballot result follows the announcement on 25 February by the university principal, Professor Sir Peter Mathieson, that the university was looking to make cuts of £140million, and that cuts of this scale could not be made by voluntary redundancy alone.
The announcement, sent by email, left university workers fearful that senior management are planning to sack staff using compulsory redundancies.
The union said that cuts of this size are unknown in Scottish higher education and questioned the role of management and the decision making at the university given there is currently no deficit, and to date, unions have not been shown any evidence that there is the prospect of one.
The union cast doubt* on the necessity of the cuts, and said that, instead, the university should look to using some of its reserves to mitigate job cuts, as well as cutting back on capital expenditure. Recent accounts for the university show net assets of over £3billion.
Jo Grady, UCU general secretary, said: “Edinburgh University management need to listen to their staff. The consultative ballot results show a clear willingness to take action against cuts and to defend jobs.
“Instead of pressing on with plans to make the biggest cuts ever seen in Scottish higher education, Peter Mathieson needs to work with UCU, use the university’s reserves and rule out compulsory redundancies.
“Politicians need to up their game as well and make clear that cuts of this scale are completely unacceptable, unnecessary and will cause lasting harm to one of Scotland’s most respected universities.”
Branch president, Sophia Woodman, said: “This is a strong vote for industrial action by members in this consultative ballot. Senior managers at the university should be under no illusion about the strength of feeling of staff.
“Instead of manufacturing a crisis, senior managers should be sitting down with the union for talks and looking to resolve this dispute before it escalates further. Members have been clear that they strongly oppose compulsory redundancies and we expect the principal to heed that message.”
*See the Edinburgh University Joint Unions Finances Working Group posts: ‘Management Is Manufacturing a ‘Financial Crisis’ to Impose Staff Cuts’ and ‘Cuts could kill our University’