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Dundee University staff balloted on new strike action

News imageBBC A group of pickets stand on the street waving bannersBBC
Members of the University and College Union Scotland have repeatedly carried out strike action in the last year

Members of the University and College Union (UCU) at Dundee University are being re-balloted for industrial action.

The move is part of a long-running dispute over cuts and the threat of compulsory redundancies.

Members of the union, which includes academic and support staff, have staged 28 days of strike action in the city in the last year.

The dispute began in November 2024 when the university announced a potential £30m deficit and "inevitable" job cuts.

The union said more than 600 staff have left the university since then, with the recently-closed voluntary redundancy scheme expected to take the number to more than 750.

The union said that university's senior management are still refusing to rule out using compulsory redundancies in future.

It said the "unprecedented" number of staff leaving had resulted in "unmanageable" workload and pressure on remaining employees.

The new ballot will run until 9 June.

Dundee University confirmed it had been notified by the UCU of its intention to ballot for industrial action.

The Scottish government provided £40m in emergency funding last year to help stabilise the university, with ministers expecting at the time that this would limit job losses to about 300.

However, interim principal Prof Nigel Seaton told Holyrood's education committee in November that the Scottish Funding Council (SFC) had accepted more redundancies would still be needed.

Ian Ellis, Dundee UCU branch co-president, said: "Our members have consistently voted for and taken action to defend jobs and to try to force senior management to rule out sacking anyone from their job through compulsory redundancies.

"Despite the longevity of this dispute and the many failings of senior management, as evidenced in the Gillies report and elsewhere, we remain committed to finding a solution in the best interests of the university and our students.

"The first step to resolving this dispute is for management to finally commit to there being no compulsory redundancies."