Strike ballot at Edinburgh's Queen Margaret University in row over job losses

The ballot opens tomorrow and will close on Wednesday 16 January.  The row centres on cuts that would put more than 40 jobs at risk. The union argues that alternatives to the current plans including resource sharing, management savings and extending the period of restructuring have not been sufficiently explored.

The university plays a central role in training NHS staff across Scotland in key areas such as nursing, mammography, radiography, physiotherapy, audiology and occupational therapy. The university is also about to launch a course in teacher training. The university employs around 400 staff and the union said that cutting a tenth its staff is bound to have an impact on the university's ability to deliver high quality education.

Mary Senior, UCU Scotland official, said: 'This is a really worrying time for staff in the university, especially in the run-up to Christmas. Nobody wants to take industrial action and we believe the best way to deal with these issues is round the negotiating table. However, by threatening these cuts and refusing to rule out compulsory redundancies the university has left us with no choice other than to ballot for strike action.'