Union to ballot workers at beleaguered Dundee University on strike action
The university has been struggling with a £35 million deficit.
Workers at a university set to cut around 700 jobs are to be balloted on strike action, a union has announced.
Dundee University has been in the grips of a financial crisis in recent months as managers seek to wrestle with a £35 million deficit.
The institution announced it would seek to cut 632 full-time equivalent jobs to steady its finances, but told Holyrood’s Education, Children and Young People Committee this week the decision would be likely to hit around 700 members of staff.
On Thursday, Unite the union announced it would be balloting its members at the university on potential strike action as it sought to halt the threat of compulsory redundancies – which bosses have previously said it would be unlikely they would be able to avoid.
The university described the announcement of the ballot – which will open on Friday and close on April 24 – as “hugely disappointing”.
“Unite has no option but to respond to the gross financial mismanagement which has shaken Dundee University to its foundations,” Unite industrial officer Katrina Currie said.
“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.”
She added that there must be a Government-backed task force set up to deal with the issue, describing the university financial body the Scottish Funding Council investigation into the cause of the crisis as “insufficient”.
Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “Unite will do everything industrially, legally and politically possible to protect the livelihoods of hundreds of workers at Dundee University.
“The situation is in danger of spiralling out of control, with the very existence of the university now at risk without government intervention.
“Unite will support our members every step of the way in defence of their jobs.”
A spokesman for the university 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, dialogue that we feel has been constructive for all parties.
“We will do all we can to mitigate the effects on our students of any industrial action.”
