Heriot-Watt Staff Vote for Further Strike Action

Staff at Heriot-Watt University have voted to support further strike action.

The vote is part of an ongoing dispute over job cuts and compulsory redundancies.

Members of the University and College Union (UCU) voted by 70% to support strike action. A further 85% backed action short of a strike. This includes working to contract and refusing to cover for absent colleagues.

The new strike mandate will last for 12 months. Staff have already taken 12 days of strike action since the dispute began. The latest strikes took place on Friday, August 7, and Monday, August 10.

Job Cut Disputes

The dispute centres on proposed cuts at the university. UCU has raised concerns about the Department of Languages and Intercultural Studies. The department faces proposals to cut 11 full-time equivalent jobs. Plans would also see Chinese and German degree programmes closed.

The union says management has moved away from an earlier commitment to avoid compulsory redundancies in the department before spring 2027.

Jobs are also due to be lost through the university’s Scholar programme. The programme provides online learning for Scottish schools.

UCU branch president Kate Sang said the ballot result showed staff remained determined to protect jobs. She also called for the university to rule out compulsory redundancies.

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University Response

Heriot-Watt says it is facing significant financial challenges. The university says it needs to reduce staffing to protect its long-term financial position.

The university says it has already made most of the required staff reductions through voluntary measures. These include leaving vacancies unfilled, offering voluntary leaver packages, reducing working hours and redeploying staff.

Heriot-Watt says fewer than 10 staff reductions remain. It also says it proposed delaying compulsory redundancies and reducing the overall number of job losses. UCU did not accept the proposal.

The university says it remains willing to continue discussions with the union.

The Possibility for Further Strikes

The new mandate allows UCU members to take further industrial action over the next 12 months. Further strikes could take place in the coming months, with disruption potentially continuing into the 2026/27 academic year.

Featured image obtained from Google Maps/ Streetview.