University staff begin vote on strike action over job cuts

Staff at the University of the West of Scotland (UWS) will begin voting on strike action from Monday amid a dispute over job cuts.

The University and College Union (UCU) said the potential for industrial action is also in response to the “refusal” from senior management for rule out compulsory redundancies.

Members of the union will be asked if they are prepared to strike or take action short of strikes, including working to contract and not covering for absent colleagues.

The union said the ballot, which will close on August 14, comes after the university announced £16.9 million worth of cuts in January.

Since then, it said £8 million has already been cut with the loss of more than 112 jobs.

The UCU said that despite staff having already left and savings already having been made, management is pressing ahead with plans to cut another 75 jobs while refusing its demands to rule out the use of compulsory redundancies.

It said the cuts would have a “devastating” impact on the remaining staff and students at the university.

The UCU said workers were being let go at a time of cuts across the higher education sector, and warned of higher workloads for “already hard-pressed” staff.

UCU UWS branch president, Jamie Hopkin, said: “Management at UWS are pressing on with detrimental plans to make staff redundant that will do nothing other than diminish the university’s standing, and harm the students that study here.

“Staff do not want to go on strike, but what is being proposed will damage UWS’s crucial missions of teaching, research and widening access to higher education.

“I can see even in my own work that those staff that remain will be under increasing pressure with unmanageable workloads and will have less time to offer students in need of support with their studies.

“Members at UWS are genuinely angry at the actions of senior managers. Members need to return their ballots and force the principal to think again and to rule out the use of compulsory redundancies.”

UCU general secretary, Jo Grady, said: “UWS is genuinely important to communities across the West of Scotland.

“Cutting staff on this scale doesn’t sit with the university’s responsibility and commitment to local communities in Paisley, Ayrshire, Lanarkshire and the South of Scotland.

“The principal and senior managers need to change course or else they face the prospects of industrial action and strikes.”

In response, a spokesperson for the University of the West of Scotland said: “In common with the rest of the higher education sector across the UK, the university is operating in a very challenging financial environment exacerbated by external factors that have driven a significant change in the size and shape of our student population, and the associated funding.

“The challenge facing UWS is not unique, and throughout the process we have focused on ensuring we continue to deliver an excellent student experience and enhanced graduate outcomes.

“The fact remains that UWS has seen a significant reduction in funded places from the Scottish Funding Council and our plan for a change in the academic workforce aligns with that reduction.

“Since 2022/23, the overall funded places have reduced from 12,735.3 to 10,850 for the coming year; a fall of more than 1,800 places.

“The university is committed to mitigating the impact on staff with a focus on employment retention where possible and by reducing expenditure in other ways including stringent vacancy management to protect jobs.

“Throughout this process we have been quite clear that compulsory redundancies would be a last resort and a number of proposals to avoid compulsory redundancy have been tabled to our recognised trade unions for consideration through the collective consultation process.

“Our next meeting with recognised trade unions is on Wednesday which we hope will be positive and constructive.”