University of Dundee staff vote to strike amid financial crisis

Staff at the University of Dundee are to strike amid an ongoing financial crisis at the institution.

The University and College Union (UCU) said that 74 per cent of members at Dundee had voted to walk out, on a 64 per cent turnout, after the university warned in November that job cuts were “inevitable” as it battled a deficit of up to £30 million.

Melissa D’Ascenzio, co-president of the UCU branch, said: “By voting in these numbers, UCU members at the University of Dundee have been crystal clear that the university needs to think again about cutting jobs and the use of compulsory redundancies.

“We remain absolutely committed to the university and are ready to play our part in helping deliver a sustainable future.”

However, a university spokesperson said the union’s ballot was “premature”. 

“The move to ballot before we have presented a recovery plan has been, in our view, a premature action by the union,” they said.

“We want to work constructively with the unions on building a more sustainable future for the university. This action, voted for by less than 10 per cent of our staff, will not help any of us in doing that.

“We will wait to hear from the union regarding their next steps. We will do all we can to mitigate the effects on our students of any industrial action.”

Dundee’s principal, Iain Gillespie, stood down with immediate effect in December as details of the institution’s predicament emerged, and amid criticism of his expenses, including a £7,000 trip to Hong Kong – including business-class flights – as the university’s problems mounted.

Other members of Dundee’s senior management team have also since left the university, the union said.

The strike announcement comes after union members from UCU Scotland rallied outside the Scottish Parliament yesterday in protest against the financial crisis facing higher education in the country.

St Andrews, Abertay, Robert Gordon and Heriot-Watt universities, as well as the University of the West of Scotland (UWS) and the University of Aberdeen, have all posted deficits in their most recent accounts.

Across the UK, union members at Newcastle University are balloting for strike action after the institution announced plans to make savings worth £20 million by cutting about 300 full-time-equivalent positions.

A similar ballot is ongoing at the University of East Anglia, where 190 staff members are at risk of redundancy.

Earlier this week Cardiff University announced plans to cut 400 roles, while 200 posts are set to go at Durham University.

juliette.rowsell@timeshighereducation.com