WORKERS at the University of Edinburgh will begin voting on industrial action on Monday in a dispute over £140 million cuts and the refusal to rule out compulsory redundancies. 

University and College Union (UCU) members will vote over the next seven weeks.

If backed, it could lead to strikes or industrial action short of strike such as working to contract, refusing voluntary duties and not covering for absent colleagues.

In a previous consultative ballot, 75 per cent of workers said they would be willing to strike, while 85 per cent supported other industrial actions.

It comes after university principal Professor Peter Mathieson said in an email to staff that the institution sought £140m in savings.

The UCU described the move as the most severe cuts in Scottish higher education history and criticised the university’s refusal to rule out compulsory redundancies.

The union said that with no financial deficit and over £3 billion in net assets, the university does not need to make cuts.

UCU branch president Sophia Woodman said members are “determined as anyone to ensure the long-term feasibility and health of Edinburgh University.”

“But that should be a future where staff and students, and teaching and research are at the forefront,” she said.

“Cuts of the size university senior management are planning will have a devastating impact not just on the university’s future, but also on the city and our local economy. 

“University senior managers need to listen to what staff are telling them, rule out compulsory redundancies and engage with the union to find a better way forward.”

UCU general secretary Jo Grady called the cuts “academic vandalism,” urging Prof Mathieson to reconsider.

Prof Mathieson said the university will continue to liaise with unions, urging them to “work together with us to shape a positive and sustainable outcome.”

He said: “We appreciate many of the concerns raised by colleagues, students and others in our community, and we are making every effort to listen.

“However, we have been very clear that our current financial position is not sustainable and we are not immune to the challenges that the higher education sector is currently facing.

“The actions we must take now, which include a reduction of both staff and non-staff operating costs, will ensure that we remain strongly placed for the future, so that we can continue to attract the brightest minds and remain a world-leading university.”