New Scottish university facing strike action over 'alarming' scale of cutbacks

Lecturers at Robert Gordon University (RGU) in Aberdeen have become the latest to vote in favour of industrial action.

A ballot, organised by the Educational Institute of Scotland (EIS), found 83 per cent of those voting backed strikes. The EIS said the vote meant it had a clear mandate to strike should the dispute not be resolved soon.

RGU announced in November that it planned to make a further 135 redundancies to ensure its long-term “viability”, after 130 workers had already left under voluntary severance schemes.

Bosses say they are doing everything they can to “mitigate against the potential of compulsory redundancies”.

The ballot follows strike action at Dundee University over proposed job cuts, with Edinburgh University expected to follow. Strathclyde University workers are separately striking over pension changes.

EIS general secretary Andrea Bradley | Contributed

EIS general secretary Andrea Bradley said: “This is a clear ballot result, where our members at RGU have indicated their willingness to take strike action, if necessary, to halt the university’s programme of cuts.

“The scale of the cuts proposed at RGU is alarming, with significant job losses and a serious impact on learning and teaching across the university.”

She added: “The EIS has now informed RGU of the result of the ballot, and again offers the university the opportunity to halt its programme of cuts to bring this dispute to an end and prevent a move to strike action.

“In particular, any refusal by RGU to take the threat of compulsory redundancies off the table will increase the risk of strike action being carried out. It is in the best interests of RGU, its students and staff for an agreement to be reached to ensure a positive resolution for all concerned.”

RGU principal Steve Olivier said: "The university has, at every opportunity, done all that it can to mitigate against the potential of compulsory redundancies.

“This includes the option of staff leaving voluntarily on enhanced terms and, through our redeployment process, having the opportunity of applying for an alternative role within the university.

“We are therefore disappointed that EIS members have decided to vote for strike action. We will continue to engage constructively with their representatives during what is an extremely challenging time for the sector.”

The industrial action was confirmed after it was revealed on Thursday that RGU recorded the biggest dip of any institution in the country in international students, nearly halving its numbers last year to just 2,365.

The Higher Education Statistics Agency figures showed foreign student numbers in Scotland have dipped from an all-time high of 83,975 in 2022/23 to 73,915 last year – a drop of nearly 12 per cent.

The number of EU citizens earning a place at Scottish universities has continued to fall since Brexit, with just 10,430 recorded last year – more than half its level in 2019.

China continued to account for the highest proportion of overseas students in Scotland. The number of Chinese students in Scotland dropped from 19,000 in 2022/23 to 17,565 last year.