Edinburgh Uni staff back strike action over £140m cuts

Staff at the University of Edinburgh have overwhelmingly voted in favour of strike action in a dispute over plans to cut £140m from its budget.

The University and Colleges Union (UCU) said the institution had refused to rule out compulsory redundancies as part of the "unprecedented" cuts.

It comes a day after the university's most senior academic body passed a vote of no confidence in its leadership over the financial position.

The university's principal, Prof Sir Peter Mathieson, said failure to take cost-saving action would leave it in an "unsustainable situation".

UCU members voted 84% in favour of industrial action in a ballot launched last month, with a turnout of 60%.

Action short of a strike, which could include a marking and assessment boycott, was also favoured by 93% of members.

The union argued the cuts, believed to be the largest ever in the history of Scottish higher education, were "unnecessary" and urged the university to use cash reserves to mitigate planned job losses.

About 350 staff have already accepted voluntary redundancy, but the university has refused to rule out compulsory job cuts.

UCU general secretary Jo Grady said: "The principal needs to heed the repeated warnings given by staff and reverse these cuts, or he's going to go down as the man who took a wrecking ball to the university's 500-year history and left it in a worse state than when he was appointed."

The union claimed the university had plans for about £200m worth of capital expenditure in the next two years.

They said it was part of a move to a "a down-sized, standardised and increasingly more commercialised university".

UCU branch president Sophie Woodman said the university needed to have an "honest discussion" about the reason for the planned cuts.

She said: "Staff are angry and ready to fight to defend the future of teaching and research at Edinburgh, which are currently at risk from these damaging proposals.

"This vote is a clear message from members to university management that they need to think again.

"We want to work with senior management to build a sustainable future, but we need compulsory redundancies to be taken off the table."

Prof Mathieson said the university would aim to "minimise disruption" for students should the strike go ahead.

"We have been transparent about the savings urgently needed to secure our financial footing, with forecasts showing that we will be in deficit from the next financial year should we not act now," he said.

"Failure to take preventative steps would leave us in an unsustainable situation, requiring deeper savings.

"We respect colleagues' right to take part in industrial action and will do all we can to minimise disruption to students should this take place. We will also continue to work with our joint trade unions as plans develop to deliver these savings."

Meanwhile, the Senatus Academicus committee - which oversees teaching and academia at the university - backed a no--confidence vote in the university's leadership in relation to its financial situation.

They said the proposed cuts risked "harmfully impacting research, teaching and the student experience, as well as staff morale and wellbeing".

They added that evidence showing the cuts were "the best way to ensure the university's financial resilience whilst also preserving its academic mission" was required.

The senate, which comprises 300 members, passed the measure in a secret ballot.

Prof Mathieson said he recognised the "strength of opinions" expressed at the meeting.

He said: "We will continue to be transparent about the urgency and severity of the financial situation affecting Edinburgh and the university sector across the UK, and our proposals to address this.

"All constructive suggestions and proposals are always welcome as we collectively take the steps necessary to secure the university's future."