Staff at Dundee University are set to vote on potential strike action as the institution faces plans to cut approximately 700 jobs in response to a £35 million financial deficit. Unite, the union representing many of the affected employees, announced the ballot on Thursday, citing “gross financial mismanagement” as the root cause of the crisis.
Katrina Currie, Unite’s industrial officer, stated: “Unite has no option but to respond to the gross financial mismanagement which has shaken Dundee University to its foundations. Under no circumstances will we allow compulsory redundancies to take place because the workers are blameless, and they should not have to pay the price for incompetence.”
Currie also called for a government-backed task force to address the crisis, criticising the Scottish Funding Council’s investigation into the university’s financial troubles as “insufficient.”
Sharon Graham, Unite’s general secretary, reinforced the union’s commitment to protecting workers’ livelihoods. She warned that without government intervention, “the situation is in danger of spiralling out of control, with the very existence of the university now at risk.” Graham added, “Unite will do everything industrially, legally and politically possible to protect the livelihoods of hundreds of workers at Dundee University”.
The university expressed disappointment over Unite’s decision to proceed with a ballot while it continues to develop a revised recovery plan. A spokesperson said: “The decision by Unite to ballot its members, while we continue to develop a revised recovery plan, is hugely disappointing. We have continued to engage and work constructively with the campus unions throughout what is a highly complex process.”
The institution currently employs 3,259 full-time staff and has 271 vacant positions. Interim Principal Prof. Shane O’Neill recently informed Holyrood’s Education Committee that while 632 full-time equivalent roles are targeted for cuts, the actual number of individuals affected could exceed 700.
Union representatives have highlighted that job losses would not only harm employees but also negatively impact students and the university’s reputation. Maggie Chapman, incoming rector and Scottish Green MSP, described the anticipated job losses as “worse than anticipated”. Additionally, some academic programs could face reductions in modules at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels.
The ballot will open on Friday and close on April 24. If approved, industrial action could follow as staff seek to prevent compulsory redundancies and push for greater transparency in addressing the university’s financial challenges.
