Rebel at bosses’ plans to slash universities

Part of the Edinburgh student-staff assembly (Pic: @edinburghucu on Instagram)

Five weeks of strikes began this week at the University of Edinburgh in response to principal Peter Mathieson’s attacks on jobs and education.

Mathieson has claimed the UCU union members’ actions will “unfairly and deliberately target students’ first semester of the academic year”.

But hundreds of students have mobilised to support the workers.

Last week, the university’s “Student-Staff Alliance”, set up by the UCU and the Justice for Palestine Society, organised an assembly that attracted over 800 people.

The turnout was so large and unexpected that organisers had to book a second lecture theatre to accommodate everyone.

Student activists have been organising teachouts and making announcements in lectures to explain why workers are striking. They are encouraging students to join the picket lines and are preparing for a Scotland-wide mobilisation in Dundee on 5 October.

UCU co-president Lena Wanggren said, “I want to protect students’ education not just for five weeks, but for the future. And the students are aware of that.”

The five weeks of strikes at Edinburgh are the longest industrial action the university has ever seen. It comes after management announced the closure of 90 degree courses earlier this month.

Mathieson wants to cut £140 ­million from the university’s annual budget despite the institution not being in deficit.

He says he is trying to “identify the right size and shape of our academic and professional staff body”.

The “right size” means 1,800 job losses—added to those whose ­contracts have not been renewed.

Mathieson pays himself over £400,000 per year. He caused ­outrage last year when he told the Scottish parliament he doesn’t know how much he is paid. He admitted, “I am certainly very well paid.”

And he has thrown money at vanity projects, such as the ­university’s £63 ­million Edinburgh Futures Institute.

As the new academic year begins, Edinburgh is one of several significant university strikes as bosses ­everywhere try to make workers pay for their financial crisis.

UCU members at Goldsmiths, in south east London, have been on indefinite strike since June. At the University of Dundee, five weeks of action began last Monday.

At Glasgow Caledonian University, EIS-ULA and UCU members are in a dispute over bosses’ plans to slash jobs. There are three days of strikes planned this week and another four next week and the following week.

UCU members at the University of Nottingham plan to strike this Wednesday and Thursday and then solidly from Monday until 11 December unless bosses rule out plans to make compulsory job cuts and slash whole departments.

Nottingham UCU branch ­president Nick Clare said the ­workers “will not stand by while colleagues lose their jobs and whole areas of teaching and research are dismantled unnecessarily.

“Students will suffer too and have their learning damaged through larger classes, less choice and ­overworked academics. Never has the saying ‘staff’s working ­conditions are students’ learning conditions’ been more correct than now.”