University of Edinburgh staff to hold new strike ballot over cuts and job losses

Members of the University and College Union (UCU) at the University of Edinburgh have begun a new ballot in a dispute over planned cuts and potential job losses.

The ballot relates to proposals for £140 million in cuts and up to 1,800 posts. It follows a dispute that began in February 2025, which resulted in nine days of strike action after management refused to rule out compulsory redundancies.

In December, a short term agreement was reached under which management guaranteed there would be no compulsory redundancies until the end of July 2026.

Union members then voted to take no further industrial action under the existing mandate, which runs until the end of April 2026.

The new ballot seeks a fresh mandate to allow further industrial action if senior managers proceed with the planned cuts and reintroduce the possibility of compulsory redundancies after July.

Under the Employment Rights Act 2025, a successful “yes” vote would mean the mandate lasts 12 months rather than six.

The union has described the proposed scale of cuts (estimated at up to 1,800 roles) as unprecedented in a Scottish university. It also points to the university’s financial position, noting that it holds more than £3 billion in reserves and confirmed last month that it is not in deficit.

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Claire Duncanson, vice-president of the Edinburgh UCU branch, said: “It was a clear win for members to get management to agree to rule out compulsory redundancies until the summer. There remains more to do however, and we need a new mandate for strike action if we’re going to be able to push management further on these clearly unnecessary cuts and job losses that take effect after July.

“As shown in the most recent annual report, the university’s finances are strong and healthy. The level of cuts management continues to propose are neither needed nor can they be carried out without substantially damaging education and research along with the student experience and staff working conditions. 12 months after first announcing huge cuts without an idea how to go about it, and having put staff and students through needless stress and worry, the principal and his senior management team need to resolve this dispute and rule out the use of compulsory redundancies once and for all.”

Jo Grady, UCU general secretary, said: “A year after announcing the biggest cuts ever seen in Scottish higher education Edinburgh university management still can’t tell us how many jobs they’re looking to cut. The union has pushed management and saved jobs during this dispute but we need a new mandate for strike action to push them further to rule out once and for all the threat of compulsory redundancies.”

Professor Sir Peter Mathieson, Principal and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Edinburgh, said: “Trade unions have an important role in times of change. The agreement reached in December demonstrated what constructive engagement can achieve. We continue to honour that agreement in full.

“Students need stability to make the most of their time at university, and protecting teaching and assessment from disruption must be a priority. While we respect the right to ballot, further industrial action risks undermining the progress we have made, and we urge union leaders to keep working with us to secure a sustainable future.

“Standing still is not an option – it would leave the University in a much more precarious financial position. We are making the difficult but responsible decisions necessary to cut costs across all areas, increase income and protect our global standing, with an ongoing commitment to avoid compulsory redundancies whenever possible.”

Featured image via Canva