Edinburgh university principal announces that 'nothing is off the table' as university seeks more cuts

The principal of the university of Edinburgh, Professor Sir Peter Mathieson, announced yesterday (Tuesday) in an email* to all staff that the university's funding gap is large and urgent enough to mean that "nothing is off the table" as the university seeks to cut staff and make savings.

The announcement follows the decision of members of the University and College Union (UCU) Scotland at the university to pass a vote of no confidence with staff voting by 265 to 25 that they had no confidence in the principal and senior management at the university.

The union disputes* the need for cuts saying that the university is wealthier than it's ever been.  The union has called on senior managers at the university to rule out the use of compulsory redundancies saying that their use is not needed and will not only impact the staff affected but also affect the university's students and the educational mission of the university.

UCU general secretary Jo Grady said: "This is a deeply worrying time for workers at the University. UCU has already lodged a failure to agree with senior management over its refusal to rule out compulsory redundancies as it undertakes this current restructure process.   

"This is an employer that wastes millions on capital projects, but is now seeking to cut the very staff who deliver the teaching, research and student support that make the university the successful institution that it is.  Management now needs to change course and guarantee workers will not be forced out the door."

notes

*On 11 February, the Edinburgh university principal emailed all staff saying: "Continuing our approach of being as open and transparent as possible about the University's financial position and the steps necessary to address it, I am writing now to inform you that we have decided to extend the time period for applications to the Voluntary Severance scheme that we launched on 14 January. The scheme will now close at 6pm on Friday 28 February. This decision is motivated by recognition that the gap that needs to be closed to secure the University's financial sustainability is large enough and urgent enough for us to have to confront the likelihood that other measures will be needed in the near future. These might include restructuring, possible closures of programmes or even Schools, mergers or shared services between Schools, centralisation of some services, outsourcing of others: nothing is off the table.

"I fully understand the anxiety and uncertainty that this message will induce, but my senior colleagues and I feel that it is best to be honest and open about the scale and urgency of the measures likely to be needed. Detailed information about the financial position will be discussed by the University Executive on 18 February and I will write again after that. Until then, if you are considering applying for Voluntary Severance, please discuss options with your line manager or look at the Voluntary Severance SharePoint site for more information.

"I genuinely believe that there is much to be optimistic about for the University of Edinburgh and that with swift and decisive action now, we can put the University back onto a secure footing for the future. Inaction would leave us heading rapidly towards the deficit position in which many other universities already find themselves. We owe it to our predecessors and to our successors to do everything we can to ensure that the University has a distinguished future to go with its distinguished past."

*See the UCU Edinburgh university branch article at https://www.ucuedinburgh.org.uk/blog/2eppzf7pgrh9w5j7ffxgnpbhgsa4s4.