Students at the University of Edinburgh have been informed that their education this term will be affected by planned strikes, which for many could effectively eliminate a term of teaching. Theo Warshaw, a final year geography student, stated he currently has no teaching for five weeks due to staff striking over budget cuts and compulsory redundancies, which the university's leaders say are needed to address a £400m shortfall.
Similar industrial action is occurring across the UK. UCU staff at the University of Dundee are currently in a five-week strike. This week, UCU staff at the University of Nottingham announced a further round of strikes, set to begin on Monday 5 October and continue for 10 consecutive weeks until the end of the semester in December.
Nottingham's industrial action follows the university's declaration of an £85m deficit, which led to plans announced in May to cut nearly 10% of its 7,000 full-time positions and suspend entry to all modern language and music courses for new students. Professor Peter Mathieson, Vice-Chancellor of Edinburgh, expressed disappointment at the UCU's five-week strike announcement, stating it will unfairly target students' first semester.