Edinburgh university staff back industrial action again in longstanding dispute over cuts and redundancies

Staff at the University of Edinburgh have today (Tuesday) backed industrial action for a second time in a longstanding dispute over £140million cuts, job losses and compulsory redundancies.

In the re-ballot of members of the University and College Union (UCU) at the university, 86% of those voting backed strike action on a turnout of 60%.  94% of members who took part in the vote also backed action short of strike which could include actions like working to contract; refusing to cover for absent colleagues or undertaking voluntary duties; and a marking and assessment boycott.

The re-ballot is necessary because trade union law means mandates for strike action only last for six months.  With the dispute now into its eighth month, today's result means strikes and industrial action could take place through to and including the busy exam period next spring.  UCU members at the university will now decide their next actions in the dispute.  

The dispute was sparked in February when university principal, Professor Sir Peter Mathieson, emailed all staff to announce that management was seeking to make £140million cuts and that in making cuts of that scale he couldn't rule out the use of compulsory redundancies.  Over the summer and the start of this academic year UCU members at the university took strike action for six days.  

The union estimates that the scale of cuts the university has announced amounts to up to 1,800 full-time-equivalent jobs, although numbers could be significantly higher as many staff work part-time or are hourly-paid.  Hundreds of jobs have already been lost, and many staff on precarious, fixed-term contracts are being forced out with their contracts not being renewed as would have happened in the past while hourly-paid staff have had their hours significantly reduced, severely impacting their livelihoods.  As well as having a disastrous impact on those staff leaving, the remaining staff are being left with ever increasing workloads.  

The union has called on university senior managers to rule out the use of compulsory redundancies and argued that if cuts of the scale proposed go ahead it will be the biggest ever number of jobs lost in the history of Scottish universities and would amount to "academic vandalism".  

The university was also accused of dragging its feet in seeking to end the dispute and avoid strikes.  Questions have been asked in the Scottish Parliament about the university's failure to hold meetings with the union to resolve the dispute.  No dispute resolution meetings have taken place since before the first day's strike action in June.  Despite this the union said that it remained willing to engage with the employer to end the strike but that university senior management withdrawing the threat of compulsory redundancies was a pre-requisite to the dispute ending.  

In response to numerous calls to rule out using compulsory redundancies, management has pressed on with cuts to staff numbers including casualised staff being hit with guaranteed-hours contracts slashed and fixed-term and open-ended contracts not being renewed.  Some courses and programmes are being closed. 

Sophia Woodman, Edinburgh UCU branch president, said: "The hard line taken by the principal and senior managers, with courses cuts, casualised staff being forced out and the threat of thousands of further cuts and compulsory redundancies, has only led to increased disenchantment among staff.  Their actions have directly led to this overwhelming ballot result for further industrial action including the possibility of more strikes and a marking boycott.  Students know who's to blame with industrial action on the cards for the remainder of the academic year.  It's time for the principal to engage with staff and students, and to rule out the use of compulsory redundancies.  The university can afford it and senior management's continued refusal is doing nothing but extend this dispute and ensuring continued disruption for our students."

Jo Grady, UCU general secretary, said: "With staff already being forced out, and an estimate of up to 1,800 jobs at risk, what Peter Mathieson is presiding over at Edinburgh university is nothing short of academic vandalism at one of the country's most respected universities.  I'm proud that UCU members are refusing to back down.  This ballot result shows their resolve.  Before this dispute escalates further, university senior managers need to reflect on where their actions are taking the university and engage urgently and seriously with the union."