'We want what we pay for': Student fears as Edinburgh Uni strikes begin

Members of the University and College Union (UCU) walked out on Monday in a dispute over £140 million cuts and compulsory redundancies.

The strike follows the announcement two weeks ago that 90 programmes at the university face closure.

Sir Peter Mathieson, Principal and Vice-Chancellor, said the union’s action was “extremely disappointing”, adding that negotiations remain ongoing.

Student Will Fearn said what “hangs in the balance” for he and his peers is far more than five lost weeks of teaching.

He said: “In the long term, the quality of our education is going to decrease massively as lecturers are overloaded with work.

“We will have fewer contact hours and one-to-one time with lecturers, and class sizes are going to increase a significant amount.”

The third year History student added: “We're all getting into very large debt that a lot of people are never able to pay off, let alone international students who are being milked for all they have.

“We want what we pay for - a good education at a prestigious university.”

Mr Fearn is a member of the new student staff assembly that has sprung up in response to the industrial action at Edinburgh University.

He added that students are concerned about a reduction in programme choices and feel that the university is not receptive to their feedback.

Sir Peter said: “As society changes, like other institutions, we undertake regular evidence-based reviews of our academic portfolio to make sure it continues to align with student demand, a constantly evolving job market and other external demands.

“Decisions regarding our future academic offering have been guided by in-depth consideration of data and disciplinary insights from academics and experts in their field.

“Proposals have then followed our robust governance processes.

“We will continue to share information and support our community as we navigate the necessary steps to shape our future.”

The ongoing dispute began in 2024 when Sir Peter announced swingeing cuts that have since led to the loss of hundreds of jobs.

While there is no official figure, the UCU estimates around 1800 jobs - an unprecedented number - will go.

There have also been cuts to tutoring positions and other hourly-paid roles.

Politicians have called on universities to use their reserves rather than cutting staff and the UCU called on the new higher education minister to put pressure on the university to similarly protect staff and jobs.

However, Sir Peter said: “To enable the university to thrive, and protect its position as a world-leading institution, we must take responsible and sometimes difficult decisions.

“Using reserves to cover day-to-day outgoings is not a reliable or responsible way to solve the underlying problem long-term.”

The UCU said strike action would be halted should the university meet its demands to commit to no compulsory redundancies; stopping cuts to fixed-term and hourly-paid staff; revising the surplus target; meaningfully negotiating with the union and prioritising savings on capital expenditure rather than staff costs.

The union said that the university’s financial pressure is largely driven by its capital investment strategy, yet senior management’s approach to cutting costs targets staff costs much more than capital and building costs.

Cecile Menard, UCU Edinburgh branch co-president, said: “The very last thing staff want to be doing at the start of term is standing on a picket line.

“We want to be welcoming new and returning students and getting on with the excellent teaching, research and student support that this university’s staff are known for.

“The fact that, instead, we’re on strike and that students are seeing the start of term disrupted is entirely down to university senior management.”