On the morning of Monday 30 March, a week of planned strikes from the University and Colleges Union Edinburgh (UCUE) began across the University of Edinburgh campus.
The strikes were announced last week, and bring an end to the deal made in December 2025, which stated that no strikes would take place until the end of April, after the university promised to rule out compulsory redundancies until July 2026.
Picket lines can be seen outside university buildings, including Moray House, Old Medical School, Chrystal McMillan Buildings, King’s Buildings Main Gate, EFI, 50 George Square, Bayes Centre, and Old College.
The Student attended the first day of picket lines at Old Medical School to gain an understanding of why strikes have been planned again, how it will affect students, and how students can support striking staff.
A UCUE spokesperson on the picket line told The Student that despite the agreements made in December, “Staff, union reps and EDI directors were not part of senior management meetings that made decisions on redundancies. There is also a lack of financial transparency and no willingness to give us the figures that they are keeping in the dark.”
They continued: “Our sole demand is no more redundancies before July. That’s all we’re asking.”
In a press statement from Vice Principal Peter Mathieson released on 25 March, he refuted the UCUE’s claims that they had not upheld the terms of the agreement, commenting: “By targeting strikes during teaching, exams and graduations, our students will now be placed under more strain during an already challenging and important time.”
“While we respect the right to protest, we will do everything we can to protect our students and staff from any disruption.”
“It is disappointing that the good faith and openness we have maintained in our engagements with UCUE have not been reciprocated and that this action is being directed against our students. We will continue all legally required consultation with union representatives and will continue to uphold our commitments under the agreement, as we believe this is in the best interests of our staff.”
When asked about the impact of strikes on students, the UCUE spokesperson said: “We’re striking now to prevent a summer of action, as this could lead to marking and assessment delays, and we don’t want that. That’s another thing — we’re striking for the admin workers who face the consequences of these delays. People don’t realise that the admin is what’s reducing contact hours. We just want to teach.”
The UCUE told The Student that supporting striking staff can happen in three ways — through refusing to cross the picket line, even for classes that are not cancelled, writing letters to senior management, and where possible donating to the fighting fund, which financially supports staff on strike.
Student support was also present, with one student commenting: “It’s shocking but not surprising we are on this picket line again.”
Support was particularly prevalent from Edinburgh Labour Students (ELS), who reiterated their support for striking staff, and encouraged fellow students to join them in a “collective effort.”
ELS and the UCUE were joined by Oliver Thomas, Labour candidate for Edinburgh North Eastern and Leith, who reiterated the same solidarity with striking staff.
Strikes are planned to continue throughout the week from 9am-1pm, with “all-out strikes” across locations on Monday and Wednesday, and “strategic strikes” on Tuesday at King’s Buildings, Thursday at 50 George Square, and Friday at Old Medical School.
Image by Lilybet Perry for The Student.