ScottishNews.com

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 action later this month will start on the 28 September and 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.

Hundreds of staff have already lost their jobs through 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.”