From 8th to 12th September 2025, I’m taking part in strike action called by UCU Edinburgh, as a result of University of Edinburgh’s refusal to rule out compulsory redundancies.
Management are pushing on with their plans to cut £140 million from the University’s annual budget, including £90 million of cuts to staff. These plans undermine student learning conditions, staff job security, staff wellbeing and the future of quality higher education at the University. For more information, see the Joint Unions Finance Working Group posts: https://www.ucuedinburgh.org.uk/ju-finance-working-group-1
The University’s Senior Leadership Team have done a really poor job of explaining their plan. Why are cuts of this scale needed, and why is their plan the best way to achieve it? They have not been able to give convincing answers, for over a year now! I’m not alone in being disappointed by this:
- In the 2025 Staff Survey, only 18% of staff agreed that they “have confidence in the University’s senior leaders” (in the School of Mathematics, it was only 5%!)
- In May 2025, the University Senate passed a historic Vote of No Confidence in Senior Management’s financial proposals
Please show your support by:
(a) joining a union (UCU www.ucu.org.uk/join or another trade union www.tuc.org.uk/join-a-union)
(b) emailing the Principal (principal@ed.ac.uk) to tell him to listen to and negotiate meaningfully with staff
(c) giving to the hardship fund (UCU Edinburgh University Hardship Fund, Sort code: 60-83-01 Account No: 20392905)
(d) sending a message of support to UCU Edinburgh (ucu@ed.ac.uk)
