Staff at the University of Dundee are preparing for another round of strike action next week amid an ongoing dispute over job cuts and financial instability.
Members of the University and College Union (UCU) will walk out for five days from Monday, 10 November, to Friday, 14 November, marking the first anniversary of the university’s financial crisis. In addition to the strikes, employees will also take part in action short of strike, which includes working to contract, refusing to cover for absent colleagues, and withdrawing from voluntary duties.
The dispute stems from a £30 million budget deficit revealed last year when then-principal Professor Iain Gillespie warned staff that compulsory redundancies might be necessary. UCU members subsequently voted in favour of industrial action, leading to several walkouts earlier this year.
Although senior management had twice suggested compulsory job losses would be avoided, recent developments have reignited tensions. The Scottish Government previously provided £40 million in emergency funding to help stabilise the institution, with ministers expecting the financial aid to limit job losses to no more than 300 positions.
However, interim principal Professor Nigel Seaton told Holyrood’s Education Committee last week that the Scottish Funding Council now accepts further workforce reductions are unavoidable. A draft recovery plan indicates that around 390 posts could be lost, including 170 through compulsory redundancies.
UCU branch co-president Melissa D’Ascenzio condemned the announcement, saying: “News that further job cuts are coming is just another shocking revelation in a year when staff have been told one thing only to be then told something different over the number of jobs to be cut and the need for compulsory redundancies.”
She added: “Throughout the past year, staff have continued to teach students and carry out world-leading research while not knowing if their job is secure. Staff are striking next week to defend jobs, and to demand, a year after they first learnt about the debacle caused by the university’s leadership, that university senior managers finally rule out the use of compulsory redundancies.”
UCU general secretary Jo Grady also criticised the university’s handling of the crisis. “It’s galling that, once again, staff hear about more job cuts in the Parliament and in the media,” she said. “It’s beyond time for Nigel Seaton to conclusively rule out compulsory redundancies. UCU members at Dundee have again shown their determination to vote for and to take action to defend jobs and protect the university’s long-term future.”
A spokesperson for the University of Dundee said: “Dundee UCU have notified us of the industrial action their members are taking next week. We will do all we can to mitigate any impacts on our students although we do anticipate the majority of classes and student contact time will proceed as normal.”
The strikes mark another escalation in a long-running conflict between staff and management, with growing fears over the impact of continued job losses on teaching quality and research excellence at one of Scotland’s leading universities.
