In response to the recent decision to strike from the University and Colleges Union Edinburgh branch (UCUE), our Associate Principal, Lucy Evans, sent out quite the email.
As lovely as Lucy’s care for our ‘concern’ is (written as if she expects us to swoon in terror at the news), it is her comment “we are disappointed to see our students being deliberately targeted and do not believe further escalation was necessary” that truly irks me; it is a deliberate and unashamed attempt from management to twist the students against the staff.
In a time in which the university has pushed voluntary redundancies en masse, and has now set each school a target they must lower their expenditure to, which will no doubt result in redundancies (the general plan outlined here), it is wilfully ignorant to pretend that the slow and oncoming slashing of people’s livelihoods is not already an ‘escalation’. This is especially true, as a large criticism comes from the premature nature of the cuts. Occurring at Mathieson’s behest, despite the large surplus in recent years and the ‘strong’ 3.1 billion in total net assets held (which the principal denies could be used… for whatever reason), our university management is the most ruthless slashers countrywide.
It is an absolutely unnecessary group of cuts, and I believe the staff are correct to take action. Whereas this university holds more buildings in its portfolio than I could ever visit, their online statement regarding the sale of estate they deigned to publish feels the need to treat us like children, reminding us that “you can only sell a building once”. Frankly, it’s an insulting lack of faith for the institution claiming to be improving our education with such cuts; the management treats hundreds of their staff as more disposable than a single one of the useless buildings that bloat progress.
I understand that in the lead-up to exam season, the last-minute cancellations of some classes are a stressful circumstance, but please remember that the staff are the ones who care about your education and subject; it’s their job, and the job of management is to ensure an influx of money. On the other hand, I know many of you are currently happily lazing in the meadows and beer gardens at noon… although that probably would’ve happened even without the strikes.
Ultimately, I trust that anyone actively reading this article online has enough critical thinking skills to see through the thin veil of war management has attempted to cast here; for your friends who aren’t reading this, remind them that the teachers aren’t the bad guys and deserve to barely be able to afford to live just like the rest of us; for Lucy Evans, nice try. Let the strike continue! I will be in the beer garden.
Image by Cordelia Murray-Brown for The Student
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The University Management is Shamelessly Pitting Students Against Striking Staff
In response to the recent decision to strike from the University and Colleges Union Edinburgh branch (UCUE), our Associate Principal, Lucy Evans, sent out quite the email.
As lovely as Lucy’s care for our ‘concern’ is (written as if she expects us to swoon in terror at the news), it is her comment “we are disappointed to see our students being deliberately targeted and do not believe further escalation was necessary” that truly irks me; it is a deliberate and unashamed attempt from management to twist the students against the staff.
In a time in which the university has pushed voluntary redundancies en masse, and has now set each school a target they must lower their expenditure to, which will no doubt result in redundancies (the general plan outlined here), it is wilfully ignorant to pretend that the slow and oncoming slashing of people’s livelihoods is not already an ‘escalation’. This is especially true, as a large criticism comes from the premature nature of the cuts. Occurring at Mathieson’s behest, despite the large surplus in recent years and the ‘strong’ 3.1 billion in total net assets held (which the principal denies could be used… for whatever reason), our university management is the most ruthless slashers countrywide.
It is an absolutely unnecessary group of cuts, and I believe the staff are correct to take action. Whereas this university holds more buildings in its portfolio than I could ever visit, their online statement regarding the sale of estate they deigned to publish feels the need to treat us like children, reminding us that “you can only sell a building once”. Frankly, it’s an insulting lack of faith for the institution claiming to be improving our education with such cuts; the management treats hundreds of their staff as more disposable than a single one of the useless buildings that bloat progress.
I understand that in the lead-up to exam season, the last-minute cancellations of some classes are a stressful circumstance, but please remember that the staff are the ones who care about your education and subject; it’s their job, and the job of management is to ensure an influx of money. On the other hand, I know many of you are currently happily lazing in the meadows and beer gardens at noon… although that probably would’ve happened even without the strikes.
Ultimately, I trust that anyone actively reading this article online has enough critical thinking skills to see through the thin veil of war management has attempted to cast here; for your friends who aren’t reading this, remind them that the teachers aren’t the bad guys and deserve to barely be able to afford to live just like the rest of us; for Lucy Evans, nice try. Let the strike continue! I will be in the beer garden.
Image by Cordelia Murray-Brown for The Student
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