Lecturers at one of Scotland’s oldest universities are to vote over industrial action in response to the threat of compulsory redundancies.
Aberdeen University announced in March that it was aiming to lose around 150 staff posts through a redundancy scheme in a bid to save 10 million pounds.
It comes after the university’s research funding was cut due to a change in the way grants are given out.
Strike action by members of the University and College Union (UCU) was called off in June after managers agreed not to make compulsory redundancies over the summer.
However negotiations between union members and officials have broken down again despite the university making 8million pounds in savings so far, with another 1.5million in savings earmarked for next year.
Lecturers at the university are to start to receive ballot papers today tomorrow asking them to vote for industrial action.
The UCU claims that further job losses and the threat of compulsory redundancies is a “kick in the teeth” for staff after the establishment rose six places in the latest Times Higher Education World University Rankings in September.
Dr Andrew Mackillop, Aberdeen UCU representative, said “Nobody wants to take industrial action but having had an agreement for no compulsory redundancies, to see university managers now moving ahead with plans to make staff redundant leaves us with no option but to ballot.
“Aberdeen UCU has worked hard over the summer with the employer to help identify the savings the university say are necessary.
“To now go ahead with plans to sack staff, having praised them in September beggars belief. “We are asking the university to continue talking and to commit to no compulsory redundancies.”
The university, which is Scotland’s third oldest further education institution, currently employs around 3,000 staff – with wages accounting for almost 60 per cent of its budget.
Employer contributions for pensions and national insurance are also expected to rise due to new legislation.
The redundancy scheme was announced after several higher education institutions across the country lost millions of pounds of research capital from the Scottish Funding Council earlier this year.
A University of Aberdeen spokesperson said: “The University of Aberdeen continues to have constructive dialogue with representatives of all of our recognised Trade Unions and we are disappointed to see UCU balloting its members on industrial action.
“In March the University identified the need to save £10.5 million in order to invest in future growth, protect against rising costs, and ensure we can meet the increasing challenges and competition within the sector. We have made significant progress in achieving this with £8.6million of savings achieved through a Voluntary Severance and efficiencies programme.
“There are no plans to introduce a scheme of compulsory redundancies across the University. We have consistently said this and, as previously agreed with unions, where savings are required in individual schools these will be implemented using natural staff turnover and our normal redundancy avoidance procedures.”
Universities only receive public funding for research judged to be “world leading” or “international excellent”.
As more work submitted now falls under these categories, less money is available to each institution.
Aberdeen University’s research funding was cut by nearly 1.6 million pounds when the new three-year packages were announced in March.
