Six strike days over Aberdeen University job cuts

UCU members will strike for six days starting on 12 March

Staff at the University of Aberdeen will strike for six days in March over the university's plans to cut jobs in modern languages.

The University and College Union (UCU) said their members voted for strike action with a ballot of 80% and a 60% turnout.

Strike action will start on Tuesday 12 March, escalating throughout the month said the union.

A petition to save modern languages at the university has been signed by more than 17,000 people and MSPs from multiple parties have spoken out against the cuts.

Staff will strike on:

• Tuesday 12 March

• Thursday 21 March

• Friday 22 March

• Monday 25 March

• Tuesday 26 March

• Wednesday 27 March

A petition opposing the cuts has been signed by over 17,000 people

UCU said members would also be taking part in action short of strike including working to contract and not rescheduling classes that have been cancelled as part of the strike action.

Aberdeen branch chair, Dr Rachel Shanks said strike action was the "very last thing" university staff want.

She said: "We’ve been forced into this position by senior managers who are prepared to see staff lose pay, and students suffer disruption rather than working together to resolve this dispute."

The union said the university's refusal to rule out compulsory redundancies was unacceptable and that despite multiple requests, they had not been provided with financial information detailing why senior management believed the cuts necessary.

A University of Aberdeen spokesperson said: “The announcement of industrial action is disappointing as there is a real possibility that staff savings in Modern Languages and the School of Language, Literature, Music, and Visual Culture will be achieved through voluntary departures from the university.

“Our talks with Aberdeen UCU will continue and we hope a resolution to the dispute can be found in the coming days that will mean that the industrial action will not proceed."