Aberdeen staff vote to strike over language course cuts

Staff at the University of Aberdeen have backed strike action over plans to scrap single honours modern languages degrees.

The University and College Union (UCU) branch at the institution has voted in favour of taking industrial action by an 80 per cent majority on a 60 per cent turnout.

Aberdeen announced late last year that it was looking at its languages provision and had initially considered closing all its programmes due to declining student numbers.

It later opted to save its joint languages courses but pushed on with a plan to close single honours degrees as part of efforts to reduce a £1.5 million deficit. Subjects including French, Gaelic, German and Spanish will be affected.

UCU said this would put 30 staff at risk of redundancy and the plans “remained unacceptable” as research in this area was also under threat and the possibility of compulsory redundancies remained in place.

It has urged the university to find alternative savings in modern languages and elsewhere. Members would meet in the coming days to discuss the next steps after the successful ballot, the union said.

Rachel Shanks, chair of the Aberdeen UCU branch, said members had made it “abundantly clear that senior managers need to rethink their plans to cut jobs and cut the university’s offer in languages”.

“Aberdeen is an important employer in north-east Scotland and cuts of this scale will have a serious impact on the economy locally, the student experience, and both the university’s and the city’s reputation,” she said.  

“It is not too late for university managers to work with UCU and others, and to find alternatives that don’t involve such drastic cuts and job losses.”

Responding to the threat of strike action, an Aberdeen spokeswoman said it was “facing serious financial challenges” and was “taking essential action to generate extra income and to make savings”.

“We understand the strength of feeling across the university with regard to potential job losses,” she added.

“Early retirement and voluntary service applications are our focus. Compulsory redundancy is something that the university always seeks to avoid.”

The spokeswoman said that it was still hoped the industrial action would not take place but, if it did, “every effort will be made to minimise the impact on students”.

Proposals for the future direction of modern languages were still being considered, they added, and “industrial action would be regrettable as we explore all options for ensuring the future academic and financial sustainability of our modern languages degrees”.

tom.williams@timeshighereducation.com