Edinburgh University staff show strong support for strike action over threatened cuts of £140 million
Edinburgh University is facing the threat of strike action unless it rules out compulsory redundancies and rolls back plans to make cuts of £140 million.
The University and College Union (UCU), which represents lecturers and admin staff, said its members had signalled strong support for industrial action over the threatened cuts.
And the union has warned Edinburgh University principal Professor Sir Peter Mathieson that strikes and other forms of action are a real possibility if senior management don’t rethink.
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 per cent, easily beating the required threshold, 75 per cent of members voting said that they would be willing to strike. And 85 per cent 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.
The union said 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 by Professor Mathiesonon February 25 that the university was looking to make spending cuts of around £140 million and that cuts of this scale could not be made by voluntary redundancies alone. The announcement, sent by email, left university workers fearful that senior management are planning to sack staff using compulsory redundancies.
The UCU said that cuts on that scale are unknown in Scottish higher education and cast doubt on the necessity for such a move. It said there was currently no deficit and to date unions had not been shown any evidence that there was the prospect of one. It said recent accounts for the university show net assets of over £3 billion.
Instead of pursuing cuts and redundancies, the union urged the university to look at using some of its reserves to mitigate job cuts, as well as cutting back on capital expenditure.
UCU general secretary Jo Grady 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.”