‍Dear students,

Due to University of Edinburgh management refusing to guarantee staff an end to job cuts including compulsory redundancies, the trade union UCU – my union – is going on strike next week 30 March-3 April.

This means that, sadly, [DATE] will be our final [class/meeting/lecture] of the semester. [DATE] class is cancelled – unless management come back to UCU reps and offer assurances before then, which of course I sincerely hope.

Some of you will already be aware of the ongoing industrial dispute we have with the University, which has been ongoing since the Principal announced staff cuts over a year ago (a few weeks after giving himself a pay rise). UCU members at the University are taking strike action due to University of Edinburgh senior management’s refusal to rule out compulsory redundancies: financially unjustified staff cuts of £90 million are underway, undermining student learning conditions, staff job security, staff wellbeing and the future of quality higher education at the University. Plenty of hidden redundancies that impact your learning have already taken place. More information is available here: https://www.ucuedinburgh.org.uk/industrial-dispute-faq

As The Tab reports: ‘The university’s latest accounts show its annual income for last year as £1,477 million, up from £1,424 million in the 2023/4 period. This puts the university at a surplus of £43 million pounds. The university also increased its surplus target in summer 2024.’

I hope you will support your lecturers and other staff – we are not willingly going on strike, but for the sake of our jobs and your education. We know that staff working conditions are student learning conditions! If you want to support us, you can do the following things:

Please show your support by:

a) emailing the Principal (principal@ed.ac.uk) to tell him to listen to and negotiate meaningfully with staff;

b) joining us at picket lines and our Wednesday noon rally – more information will be coming on the UCU Edinburgh website soon: https://www.ucuedinburgh.org.uk/industrial-dispute-faq

c) speak to your fellow students and explain to them why your tutors, lecturers, library staff and administrators are forced to take this action.

A wee note: UCU never has picket lines outside the Main Library or the Health & Wellbeing centre, as we know students need these spaces. So if you need a space to study and don’t want to cross a picket line, that’s a pro tip!

Staff and students are what make our university - the university cannot function without us.