Stirling University loses staff contract case

STIRLING University has lost a legal battle with lecturers over making staff redundant.

The Glasgow Employment Tribunal ruled this week that the university broke the law by failing to properly consult with the union when it did not renew fixed-term contracts of staff.

The university argued because the staff were on a fixed-term contract the law that requires employers to consult when 20 or more members of staff may be made redundant did not apply.

However, the University & College Union (UCU) argued that the expiry of a fixed-term contract could be classed as a redundancy, and therefore when more than 20 fixed-term contracts were due to end, the university had a legal obligation to consult with the union on ways to mitigate and avoid the dismissals.

Employment Judge Paul Cape ruled in favour of UCU. The tribunal will reconvene to consider the award.

Martin McCrindle, Stirling University's director of human resources, said: "We, like other universities, will continue to employ academic staff on fixed-term contracts to ensure we achieve our research goals in the difficult funding environment that we are experiencing."