University of Dundee staff to strike again next week in job cuts row

University of Dundee staff are to take five days of strike action next week in a dispute over job cuts.

The action by University and College Union (UCU) members comes after they walked out earlier this year in protest at proposed redundancies as the institution seeks to tackle a £30 million deficit.

Next week’s strike follows a re-ballot which took place due to trade union legislation which means that ballots for such action expire after six months.

The Scottish Government has already stepped in and bailed out the university with £40 million of emergency cash – with ministers said to have the expectation this would help keep job losses at Dundee to a maximum of 300.

However, Professor Nigel Seaton, interim principal of the university, last week told Holyrood’s Education Committee that the Scottish Funding Council (SFC) – the body which funds universities in Scotland – now accepts that further reductions in the workforce will have to take place.

UCU’s Dundee branch co-president Melissa D’Ascenzio said: “News that further job cuts are coming is just another shocking revelation in a year when staff have been told one thing only to be then told something different over the number of jobs to be cut and the need for compulsory redundancies.

“Last week was another example of staff hearing what’s happening to their jobs and the university via the Parliament or in the media.

“Throughout the past year, staff have continued to teach students and carry out world-leading research while not knowing if their job is secure.

“Staff are striking next week to defend jobs, and to demand, a year after they first learnt about the debacle caused by the university’s leadership, that university senior managers finally rule out the use of compulsory redundancies.”

UCU members will take strike action for five days from Monday November 10 to Friday November 14.

They will also take part in actions short of strike including working to contract, not covering for colleagues or undertaking voluntary activities at the university.

The campus trade unions will also hold a rally in Dundee on Thursday November 13 to mark the one-year anniversary since staff were first told about the deficit and potential job cuts.

In June, a report by the Scottish Funding Council into the university’s handling of its financial crisis led to the resignations of three senior members of the institution, including its interim principal.

It found that university bosses, and its governing body, repeatedly failed to identify the crisis and take action, describing problems facing it as “self-inflicted”.

Jo Grady, UCU general secretary, said: “It’s galling that, once again, staff hear about more job cuts in the Parliament and in the media.

“It’s beyond time for Nigel Seaton to conclusively rule out compulsory redundancies.

“UCU members at Dundee have again shown their determination to vote for and to take action to defend jobs and protect the university’s long-term future.”

A University of Dundee spokesperson said: “Dundee UCU have notified us of the industrial action their members are taking next week.

“We will do all we can to mitigate any impacts on our students, although we do anticipate the majority of classes and student contact time will proceed as normal.”