A statement last week from the University of Edinburgh Principal, Sir Peter Mathieson, addressed to all staff announced that “costs are rising faster than our income” and warned of further cuts.
The statement read: “We have written to all staff, reaffirming our commitment to the agreement reached with the University and College Union Edinburgh (UCUE) in December 2025.”
He continued: “We entered that agreement in good faith and have continued to honour it in full.”
This agreement was a narrowly accepted deal by union members in December 2025 involving: no compulsory redundancies until July, 2026, a voluntary severance scheme, and greater transparency and consultation.
He continued: “We are doing all we can to safeguard the future of our great institution.”
Mathieson’s proposed solutions have ranged from ending free tuition for Scottish students to seeking further government investment, but as the deficit looms, he warns that “nothing is off the table.”
His statement follows a vote to resume industrial action by the members of the UCUE, which was paused under the terms of the agreement.
The UCUE President, Sophia Woodman, told The Student: “Unfortunately the UCUE does not share [Mathieson’s] view that the agreement reached with UoE management is working.
“Management has not met the terms of ‘meaningful consultation’ with unions in the plans for change that are being pushed forward.
“Central questions that we’ve raised about some of the projects have gone unanswered. In addition, management has insisted on unreasonable levels of confidentiality for the limited shared information.”
She continued: “There hasn’t been any progress on negotiating a framework for avoiding redundancies […] a legal obligation.”
“Staff cuts are already causing severe damage to education and research at UoE, the University’s core mission. The level of cuts will also diminish the UoE’s future income from tuition fees and research grants. UCUE calls on management to return to negotiations to work out a plan for avoiding further staff cuts as a matter of urgency.”
For now, the “good faith” of the December agreement appears to have evaporated, leaving the students to face another spring of industrial unrest and an uncertain academic future for the University of Edinburgh.
Image by Mark Chan for The Student