The University of the West of Scotland (UWS) is facing potential industrial action over plans to cut a further 75 jobs.

A ballot has been called by the University and College Union (UCU), which has urged the institution to rule out compulsory redundancies.

Members are being asked to vote on whether they would be prepared to take action short of a strike, such as “working to contract” and not covering for absent colleagues. The union said that the vote could also “pave the way for strikes at the university”.

UWS is looking to cut £16.9 million in spending, according to UCU, and since January has already cut £8 million, resulting in the loss of 112 staff positions mostly via vacancies not being replaced. The union said that management is now “pressing ahead” with plans to cut a further 75 jobs.

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Jamie Hopkin, UCU UWS branch president, said the cuts will “do nothing other than diminish the university’s standing, and harm the students that study here”, adding that staff are “genuinely angry”. 

“Staff do not want to go on strike but what is being proposed will damage UWS’ crucial missions of teaching, research and widening access to higher education. I can see even in my own work that those staff who remain will be under increasing pressure with unmanageable workloads and will have less time to offer students in need of support with their studies.”

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UCU general secretary Jo Grady added that the institution was important to communities across the west of Scotland. 

"Cutting staff on this scale doesn’t sit with the university’s responsibility and commitment to local communities in Paisley, Ayrshire, Lanarkshire, and the South of Scotland. The principal and senior managers need to change course or else they face the prospect of industrial action and strikes.”

The Scottish government recently provided a £40 million bailout to the University of Dundee following its “unprecedented” financial crisis, after a damning report blamed financial mismanagement by its senior team for the extent of its deficit, projected to be worth £35 million.

The Scottish government has since warned that while this crisis was unique to Dundee, “there is a need for a reflection from our universities on the levels of growth that we witnessed in some institutions, particularly during the pandemic”.

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A UWS spokesperson said: “In common with the rest of the higher education sector across the UK, the university is operating in a very challenging financial environment exacerbated by external factors that have driven a significant change in the size and shape of our student population, and the associated funding. The challenge facing UWS is not unique, and throughout the process we have focused on ensuring we continue to deliver an excellent student experience and enhanced graduate outcomes.

“The fact remains that UWS has seen a significant reduction in funded places from the Scottish Funding Council and our plan for a change in the academic workforce aligns with that reduction. Since 2022-23, the overall funded places have reduced from 12,735.3 to 10,850 for the coming year; a fall of more than 1,800 places.

“The university is committed to mitigating the impact on staff with a focus on employment retention where possible and by reducing expenditure in other ways including stringent vacancy management to protect jobs. Throughout this process we have been quite clear that compulsory redundancies would be a last resort and a number of proposals to avoid compulsory redundancy have been tabled to our recognised trade unions for consideration through the collective consultation process.”

juliette.rowsell@timeshighereducation.com