UNIVERSITIES in Scotland are facing a fresh wave of strike action amid threats of cuts and closures.
Teaching staff at Dundee University will go on strike on Monday for 15 days, while professional services staff are also being balloted on industrial action.
The university's principal resigned "with immediate effect" in December as the institution faces a funding deficit of some £30 million.
Meanwhile, staff at Edinburgh University have been warned about an "urgent" gap in financial stability which could lead to programmes and schools being closed, the BBC reports.
And on Thursday, Unite the union announced its members were going on strike at Strathclyde University over changes to pensions.
But why exactly are universities in Scotland facing issues – and what are the solutions?
‘A perfect storm’
The National spoke to Mary Senior, Scotland official at the University College Union (UCU).
She explained how there was a “perfect storm” of issues contributing to the challenges faced by Scottish universities.
“UCU is very supportive of free tuition in Scotland for Scottish-domiciled students. We absolutely think that is the right policy for education, but it has to be properly funded.
“We’ve seen continual under-investment and diminution of the funding that the Scottish Government – via the Scottish Funding Council – gives to universities in Scotland to cover teaching Scottish-domiciled students.”
Senior said that pressures “have been ramping up particularly over the last year”, meaning universities have had to look towards alternative funding sources in order to subsidise teaching.
Universities are becoming increasingly reliant on international students and the increased tuition fees that they bring in, but a combination of Brexit, changes to visa rules and bringing dependents into the country have ultimately impacted the number of international students coming to study.
We told how the Scottish Parliament previously called on the UK Government to act on a bespoke Scottish visa scheme which would address “the needs of Scotland’s employers, communities and public services”.
Meanwhile, institutions are also battling with inflationary pressures – while university management continues to make “unwise” spending decisions.
Senior continued: “We see some strange divisions from some universities management – unwise spending commitments, overseas campuses.
“We also see unjustifiable pay packets and benefits and all of that for those at the top which really doesn’t help.”
What are the solutions?
UCU members at both Dundee and Edinburgh universities are working to pressure management into backtracking on their decisions.
Senior described the situation at Dundee University as “deeply worrying”.
She said: “The anger, insecurity, frustration and the worry that our members at the University of Dundee are currently experiencing is off the scale.
“We’re doing all we can in terms of engaging with politicians and the Scottish Funding Council to be clear that they need to support Dundee.
“It’s a vital institution in that city and in Scotland, the education and research and the knowledge exchange it provides is fundamental to our economy, society and our public services.
“We’re demanding that support is provided and that jobs are saved so that the student experience can continue.
“Our branch is demanding that any changes that do take place are done without recourse to compulsory redundancies.
“We absolutely think that it is possible to make changes in institutions without forcing people out of the door.”
Meanwhile, Edinburgh University is in “quite a different financial situation” to Dundee in that it doesn’t have a deficit and is considered a successful institution.
She added: “It’s alarming that they’re refusing to take compulsory redundancies off the table and our branch is fighting back against that.
“We’re not going to have people forced out of the door when you’ve got senior managers earning £400,000 plus.
“It’s really alarming that Edinburgh is attempting to plead poverty when we do not see that being the case at all.”
