By Alasdair Fraser

Copyright inverness-courier

A strike ballot is being held in response to the “devastating blow” of proposed compulsory job cuts at the University of the Highlands and Islands (UHI).

From today (Wednesday 10 September) members of the University and College Union (UCU) employed at UHI’s executive office are being asked if they are prepared to take part in both industrial action and action short of strike.

Action short of strike means that members would work strictly to contract and not cover for absent colleagues.

The ballot will close on Tuesday 7 October.

It follows the decision and internal announcement last month by university’s senior management that they plan to make 16 people redundant as part of an effort to save £2 million.

The union said compulsory redundancies were “a red line” and that the cuts would have a devastating blow on individuals who lose their jobs at the university’s executive office, but also that the numbers didn’t add up.

They say their concern is that the management will come back in the future to cut even more jobs.

The announcement of the cuts comes two years after the last round of redundancies at the executive office.

The union argued that university senior management should be looking at savings in areas other than cutting staff.

They claim it will be impossible to keep cutting staff numbers year-on-year without impacting the quality of education and student experience the university provides to communities across the Highlands and Islands.

The union also called on senior managers to stop using compulsory redundancies.

Despite the union’s demand, the university principal, Vicki Nairn, and senior management have refused to use only voluntary redundancies “meaning that people are being forced from their jobs”.

UCU UHI branch president Conchúr Ó Giollagáin said: “Obviously redundancy has a huge impact on the people who lose their jobs, but it also leaves other staff with increased workloads and the university itself less able to deliver the education students and communities across the Highlands and Islands deserve.

“Times are hard just now across higher education, but the answer isn’t to cut staff who deliver vital services running the university and who ensure its future.

“By announcing these job cuts university management are showing they’ve not learnt from the mistakes they’ve made in the past.

“Despite this, it’s not too late to avoid strikes and all the disruption that entails.

“We’re calling on the principal and senior managers to engage with the union, to go through the numbers with us to make sure we’re not back here again in a year’s time and to work with us to identify alternative savings and, crucially, to stop using compulsory redundancies.”

Jo Grady, UCU general secretary, added: “Almost two years ago I stood on the picket line alongside UHI members fighting job losses and trying to secure the university’s future.

“To be back here only two years later, it seems that management is again making the same mistakes.

“Sadly, we’re back having to ballot for industrial action, but I’ve no doubt members will do the right thing to save jobs and secure the university’s long-term future by voting ‘yes’.”

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