Strike ballot to open at Durham University over impact of £20m cuts

The ballot will open next Tuesday and run until Tuesday 1st April. It comes as management says it intends to axe around 200 professional services jobs by the end of summer with even more staff due to be culled next year.

Management blames the "extremely difficult environment" universities are facing, but the union said that reducing staff is not the answer to any problems being faced.

UCU Durham Communications Officer Katie Muth said: "Staff will be voting yes to strike action because they are worried about what the job cuts will mean for anyone who has to leave the university and about the workload implications for those left behind."

UCU general secretary Jo Grady said: 'Durham University has the finances to protect jobs and protect student provision, so it is scandalous that staff have to ballot for strike action to force management to do the right thing. The university leadership team now needs to rule out compulsory redundancies and work with us to resolve this dispute.'