Strike ballot opens at Edinburgh's Queen Margaret University

UCU members at Queen Margaret University (QMU) are being balloted from today for strike action in a dispute over jobs, working conditions and changes to working practices.

Staff at QMU are being asked if they are willing to take strike action and action short of strike against cuts to the staffing budget and the employer's refusal to rule out compulsory redundancies.   The ballot will run until 21 May 2026.  Action short of strike could include working to contract and not covering for absent colleagues.

Senior management at the university have announced their intention to seek savings of £4million from staff costs across 2026-27 and 2027-28.  The union has asked management to rule out using compulsory redundancies but management have so far refused to do so.  As well as job cuts, senior managers at the university are also planning to bring in proposals to cut research at the university, bringing into question the university's ethos and reputation.  The union said that cutting research time will call into question the university's ability to provide students with research-led teaching which is accepted as the gold standard across higher education.

The union said that it wants to work with management to save jobs and look for alternative savings that don't fall on staff and protect the university's reputation and ability to carry out world-leading research.  The cuts come after staff have already left employment voluntarily, meaning higher workloads for the staff who remain at the university and their conditions worsening. 

UCU QMU branch co-president, Judith Lane, said: "This three part attack on staff at QMU comprising job cuts, possible compulsory redundancies, and cuts to research time is simply unacceptable and brings into question the reputation, future and very purpose of our university.

"Despite this, it's not too late to avoid strikes and the disruption this will cause for students.  We're calling on senior management and the principal to engage with the union, row back on plans to cut research, and rule out using compulsory redundancies.  The very last thing staff want to do is to go on strike but every indication from members is that they're angry at what management are proposing and will back industrial action to save jobs, research and the quality of education offered to students at QMU."

UCU general secretary Jo Grady said: "With jobs on the line at QMU and management refusing to rule out compulsory redundancies, it's time for the Scottish Government to show leadership and stop the crisis in its universities.  With only weeks to go before Scotland votes in the elections, we're calling on all candidates and politicians to end the jobs crisis, fully fund Scottish higher education and provide emergency financial support to protect jobs."