Created on: 04 Aug 2026
Members of the Educational Institute of Scotland University Lecturers Association (EIS ULA) at Glasgow Caledonian University (GCU) take their fourth day of strike action (Tuesday, 4th August 2026).
The walkout forms part of an escalating dispute over university management’s proposals to cut up to 100 staff jobs and its continued refusal to rule out compulsory redundancies.
Following three initial strike days held in late June and early July, academic staff are returning to the Cowcaddens Road campus picket line to continue opposing management’s redundancy plans.
The EIS ULA action will be taken alongside colleagues from the University and College Union (UCU), who are also taking strike action at GCU tomorrow.
The combined trade union response reflects mounting anger across campus regarding management’s multi-million pound cost-cutting drive, which the EIS argues is unnecessary given the University’s cash reserves of £95 million. Pickets will assemble outside the University’s main entrance as staff stand together to defend academic provision and protect remaining colleagues from unsustainable workload increases.
Condemning the proposed job losses, EIS General Secretary Andrea Bradley said, "The flawed drive by GCU management to axe up to 100 jobs is both imprudent and unjustified. Management’s refusal to rule out compulsory redundancies—while outright rejecting costed, viable alternatives put forward by the trade unions—demonstrates a frustrating intransigence. The University’s planned cuts directly threaten course availability, research capacity, and the overall quality of education offered to students, and we urge the University to halt this damaging agenda immediately."
The EIS ULA continues to call on GCU senior management to re-enter meaningful negotiations and provide a guarantee against compulsory redundancies in order to resolve the dispute.
Further strike action is currently scheduled for September 7th, 8th, and 10th if the University fails to engage constructively. Praising the commitment of the University’s academic community, Ms Bradley added, "Our members at Glasgow Caledonian University have shown extraordinary professionalism and dedication, working tirelessly to facilitate student success under increasingly challenging conditions. It is their hard work, academic expertise, and passion that make GCU the respected institution it is today. Taking strike action is always a last resort, but staff are standing firm not only to defend their own livelihoods, but to safeguard academic standards and the high quality educational teaching that our students deserve."
GCU planned strike dates are as follows:
Tuesday 4th August
Monday 7th, Tuesday 8th and Thursday 10th September
Confirmed picket lines are:
Tues 4th August from 8-11am
All picket lines will be held at the Cowcaddens Road entrance to GCU.