Strike ballot opens today at Edinburgh University in dispute over cuts as employer refuses to rule out compulsory redundancies

A ballot for industrial action opened on 7 April at the University of Edinburgh in a dispute over £140million cuts and the refusal to rule out compulsory redundancies. The ballot will run until 20 May and could pave the way for industrial action, including strikes, at the university.

Members of the University and College Union (UCU) at Edinburgh University are being asked if they are willing to take part in strike action and action short of strike. In an earlier consultative ballot, 75% of members said that they would be willing to strike and 85% said they would take part in action short of strikes, such as working to contract and refusing to cover for absent colleagues or undertaking voluntary duties.

The ballot follows the principal of the university, Professor Sir Peter Mathieson, announcing to staff in an email on 25 February that he was looking to make cuts of £140million, a move which the union said would see the biggest ever cuts made in Scottish higher education history. The university principal had also said that cuts of this magnitude could not be made by voluntary redundancy alone and refused to rule out compulsory redundancies, as demanded by the union meaning that staff could be forced to leave their jobs. 

The ballot opens as the UCU branch at the University of Dundee recently ended 15 days of strikes over plans there to cut 632 jobs. The union said that, while there appears to have been serious mismanagement at Dundee, there is no need for cuts at the University of Edinburgh where there is no deficit. The unions have expressed doubt * over the need for cuts and said that, instead, if the principal is determined to make savings then he should do so by using reserves and by cutting back on building and capital expenditure. The university has published accounts showing it has net assets in excess of £3 billion making it one of the richest universities in the country.

Branch president, Sophia Woodman, said: 'There is no need for the university to be making cuts of £140million. In fact, without a deficit, there's a strong feeling among staff that this is both an unnecessary and a manufactured crisis. The UCU branch is as determined as anyone to ensure the long-term feasibility and health of Edinburgh University but that should be a future where staff and students; and teaching and research are at the forefront. Cuts of the size university senior management are planning will have a devastating impact not just on the university's future, but also on the city and our local economy. University senior managers need to listen to what staff are telling them, rule out compulsory redundancies and engage with the union to find a better way forward'.

UCU general secretary, Jo Grady, said: 'Making cuts of £140million when there is no need to do so is nothing short of academic vandalism. Edinburgh University is one of the Scotland's oldest and most respected universities with an unparalleled reputation internationally. Professor Mathieson needs to reconsider these brutal cuts and do his job in protecting staff jobs and the university's reputation and future'.

Note

* 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'.