New strike ballot opens at Dundee University

The dispute started in November 2024 and is now in its eighteenth month since the then university principal shocked staff by announcing £30million cuts and the possibility of compulsory redundancies. Since that announcement over 600 staff have left the university and a voluntary redundancy scheme recently closed which will take the number to over 750. Despite this senior management are still refusing to rule out using compulsory redundancies in future.

The union said that number of staff who have left is unprecedented and means that workload and pressure on the staff who remain at the university is unmanageable. The union surveyed members earlier this year with many reporting high levels of anxiety and worse. 

Despite the failure of senior managers to rule out compulsory redundancies, sustained strikes and industrial action has meant that compulsory redundancies haven't been used by management yet. There have been 28 days of strikes so far in the dispute, most recently last month. The union said that in order to defend jobs it was critical that the ballot is renewed.  Due to changes in trade union legalisation any new mandate will run for a full 12 months rather than six months as has been the case up till now. The new ballot will run from today until Tuesday 9 June.

Ian Ellis, Dundee UCU branch co-president, said: 'Our members have consistently voted for and taken action to defend jobs and to try to force senior management to rule out sacking anyone from their job through compulsory redundancies. The fact that, despite over 600 people having left, they are still unwilling to do so is why earlier this year our members voted no confidence in the university's senior leadership. Despite the longevity of this dispute and the many failings of senior management, as evidenced in the Gillies report and elsewhere, we remain committed to finding a solution in the best interests of the university and our students. The first step to resolving this dispute is for management to finally commit to there being no compulsory redundancies."

Jo Grady, UCU general secretary, said: 'The determination of members at Dundee to protect jobs and find a sustainable future for their university is inspirational.  It's time for Professor Seaton and the senior management team to listen to staff and rule out compulsory redundancies. The best way to make them do this is for UCU members to once again return ballot papers and to overwhelming vote "yes" in the re-ballot.'