Tag: UCU Scotland

Five-week strike at Edinburgh University starts today

Members of the University and College Union (UCU) Scotland at Edinburgh University will strike for 25 days over five weeks from today (28 September) in a long running dispute over £140m cuts and 1,800 job losses.

Staff at Edinburgh have already taken multiple days of strike action and participated in a marking and assessment boycott because of the refusal of management to rule out compulsory redundancies.  The latest action starts today and will continue through to 30 October. 

The dispute centres on £140m cuts announced by the principal, Professor Sir Peter Mathieson, in early 2025 and an estimated 1,800 job losses.  The scale of cuts are the largest cut in staff seen in Scottish higher education and is happening at one of the wealthiest institutions in the country and which, earlier this year, confirmed that there was no deficit. 

Hundreds of staff have already lost their jobs through hidden redundancies including by fixed term contacts not being renewed as would normally happen and hourly-paid staff having their hours reduced. 

Despite 18 months of campaigning and industrial pressure, including three ballots and strikes, the threat to jobs and student education remains while staff continue to face increased workloads because of ongoing restructures.

UCU members voted to undertake the five-week strike earlier in the summer.  Since then the union has been pressing senior management to make a serious proposal that could avoid the strike. 

The union has called for management to commit to no compulsory redundancies; to address hidden redundancies and workloads; engage in meaningful negotiation to avoid redundancies; and to reconsider the balance between staff and non-staff cuts.

UCU Edinburgh branch co-president Lena Wånggren said: “Our members have been clear that compulsory redundancies must not be the university’s answer to its financial challenges.

“Five weeks of strike action is not what anyone wants, but members are prepared to take action to protect jobs.  UCU members are prepared to take action for our colleagues and our students – we want to safeguard students’ education not just for five weeks in Autumn but for the future.”

UCU Edinburgh branch co-secretary Nik Matheou said: “Staff are facing increased workloads, the threat of redundancies, and continuing uncertainty created by restructures and cuts.

“We have given management another opportunity to avoid the strikes. We need a commitment to no compulsory redundancies, meaningful consultation and action to address hidden job losses and increased workloads. We are ready to continue to negotiate and hope management will now come forward with a serious proposal.”

UCU general secretary Jo Grady said: “The unprecedented cuts and job losses at Edinburgh are forcing members to take five-weeks of strike action. 

“I previously called the cuts at Edinburgh ‘academic vandalism’ and nothing I’ve seen during this dispute gives me any reason to change that view.  Even at this late stage, it’s not too late for the principal to rule out compulsory redundances, engage meaningfully with the union and take action to end this dispute.”

Industrial action warning over cuts at Edinburgh University

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’