Language staff at Aberdeen University set strike dates

Language staff at the University of Aberdeen will strike for 6 days over the course of March in a dispute over plans to cut jobs.

The university announced in December it will scrap single-honours degrees in modern languages - meaning students will not be able to study French, German, Gaelic, or Spanish as a stand-alone degree from September 2024.

Management blamed a long-term decline in enrolments and losses of over £1.5 million a year.

University and College Union (UCU) members were balloted last month with 80% voting to take strike action in a turnout of 60%.

Now, the union has announced six strike dates over the course of March starting on the 12th and ending on the 27th.

As well as taking strike action, members will also be taking part in action short of strike which includes working to contract and not rescheduling classes cancelled as part of the action.

UCU claims 30 jobs are at risk of redundancy and believes the university's refusal to rule out any compulsory redundancies is "unacceptable".

However, it said it remains "willing to work" with the university to avoid the need for redundancies and find an alternative to savings.

Aberdeen UCU branch chair, Dr Rachel Shanks, said: “The very last thing staff at the university want to do is to go on strike but we’ve been forced into this position by senior managers who are prepared to see staff lose pay, and students suffer disruption rather than working together to resolve this dispute.

“It’s not too late for the university Principal and other senior managers to resolve the dispute.

"We urge them to fully engage with the union to find a way forward that allows the university to recover its reputation and the 30 staff to keep their jobs.”

"Industrial action is disappointing"

In response to the strike dates being confirmed, the University of Aberdeen said it was 'disappointed' that industrial action will be going ahead.

However, it hopes a resolution will be found in the coming days as talks continue.

A University of Aberdeen spokesperson said: “The announcement of industrial action is disappointing as there is a real possibility that staff savings in Modern Languages and the School of Language, Literature, Music, and Visual Culture will be achieved through voluntary departures from the University.

"The consultation on Modern Languages has also resulted in the development of a strong set of proposals which provides an academically and financially sustainable future for Modern Languages.

“Our talks with Aberdeen UCU will continue and we hope a resolution to the dispute can be found in the coming days that will mean that the industrial action will not proceed. In the meantime measures are in place to keep any disruption to students to a minimum.”