University of Edinburgh staff begin five-week strike

Approximately 3,000 staff members at the University of Edinburgh are launching five weeks of strike action, scheduled to run until October 30. The industrial action, led by members of the University and College Union (UCU), is a response to planned £140 million in spending cuts and compulsory redundancies.

The dispute follows an announcement made two years ago regarding significant savings, which includes the planned closure of 90 academic programmes. Union officials estimate that a total of 1,800 posts will be eliminated.

UCU representatives are demanding that senior management provide an immediate guarantee against compulsory redundancies and halt cuts targeting hourly-paid and fixed-term workers. The union is also calling for a revised surplus target and a shift in focus toward reducing capital expenditure rather than staffing budgets. Cecile Menard, UCU Edinburgh branch co-president, stated that management could end the strike by prioritizing non-staff budget cuts and addressing the redundancies that are impacting workload and student support.