The Edinburgh branch of the University and Colleges Union (UCUE) staged a comprehensive three-day staff strike starting on 17 November.
This was in protest of personnel cuts worth £90m proposed by senior management of the University of Edinburgh.
The cuts are part of a larger cost-saving scheme announced this February, seeking to reduce the budget by £140m over an 18 month period, around ten per cent of its £1.4bn budget.
The UCUE responded to the announcement by striking during Welcome Week, but saw the need for further action last week due to the announcement of compulsory redundancies.
UCUE’s Vice President Claire Duncanson believes that one in eight jobs at the university are at stake, posing significant threats to the student experience if they take place. She told protesters at a picket line on Monday:
“Teaching staff can’t provide the good contact hours, well-prepared lectures, thought-out tutorials, and thorough feedback that students expect and deserve without the necessary resources.”
She added that the UCUE is “at a point of last resort” in their negotiations with the University, threatening to hold an assessment and marking boycott if Mathieson and his colleagues continue to ignore their demands.
While the UCUE has asked students to stand in solidarity with their teachers, support at protests around campus has been scarce.
At the Main Library, only two second year law students were seen in support of teaching staff. They urged their peers to “stand in solidarity with those who literally educate you” and showed disappointment at those crossing the picket line.
Many students have cited important deadlines or compulsory attendance as a reason for breaking the strikes.
One physics student told The Student that he supports staffing cuts “if they are necessary to keep the University’s balance sheets in check.”
While this remains the position of senior management, the strikes have succeeded at temporarily preventing compulsory redundancies.
In response to the strikes, Principal Sir Peter Mathieson said:
“It remains our position that, wherever possible, we still seek to avoid compulsory redundancies. It is also important that we protect our university’s long-term financial stability.”
“We have recently put forward a fair and carefully considered offer. This includes a proposal, in line with UCUE’s requests, that there would be no compulsory redundancies through our cost-saving programme before July 2026.”
Mathieson’s change of mind was likely further influenced by building political pressure, with the UCUE’s strikes culminating in a rally at the Scottish Parliament on Wednesday.
Influential Conservative, Labour, and Liberal Democrat politicians unilaterally voiced their support for university staff.
Alex Cole-Hamilton, leader of the Scottish Liberal Democrats and MSP, told The Student:
“We need to ask senior management to recalibrate, to recognise that investment in staff is investment in the student experience. We cannot have a centre of excellence and learning in Edinburgh with a diminished staff cohort.”
The Edinburgh University Justice for Palestine Society (EUJPS) voiced solidarity with the UCUE while protesting for divestment, arguing that the two issues are intertwined.
Early on Monday morning, EUJPS protesters blocked access to Old College. One masked student told The Student:
“[We] have been successful; the UCU is now joining us in solidarity.”
The protest remained peaceful besides campus security voicing concerns over cleaning staff inside the building.
Image by Kami Aksel for The Student