Created on: 26 Jun 2025
The Educational Institute of Scotland University Lecturers' Association (EIS ULA) branch at the University of the West of Scotland (UWS) has announced the opening of a statutory ballot for strike action.
This significant step comes as the Union seeks a firm guarantee from UWS management that there will be no compulsory redundancies as part of the ongoing Organisational Change Project (OCP).
The ballot opened on Monday, June 23, 2025, and will close at 12:00 PM on Tuesday, July 22, 2025.
The decision to move to a statutory ballot follows a period of unproductive discussions with university management regarding their OCP and the recent announcement that the university are set make 75.2FTE of academic staff redundant. The union has consistently voiced concerns about the lack of transparency and meaningful consultation throughout the OCP process, which led to a dispute being lodged by the EIS in March. The EIS ULA believes that the university’s refusal to rule out compulsory redundancies poses a direct threat to the job security of its members, the quality of education being delivered and a detrimental impact on academic choice and research at UWS.
Garry Ross, EIS National Officer for Higher Education, condemned the university’s approach, stating, "It is deeply regrettable that the University of the West of Scotland has chosen to make this large number of job cuts and pushed staff to the point of balloting for strike action. The proposed redundancies are a short-sighted and a damaging strategy that will have a devastating impact on the livelihoods of dedicated staff, many of whom have worked at UWS for years. Furthermore, it will inevitably lead to a decline in the academic provision, research capacity, and overall student experience at the university. We urge UWS to step back from this path and engage meaningfully with the EIS ULA to secure a no compulsory redundancy guarantee."
The EIS ULA branch at UWS has a strong mandate from its members to move to this statutory ballot, with a previous consultative ballot showing overwhelming support for strike action if a no compulsory redundancy guarantee was not secured. Members are resolute in their commitment to protect jobs and ensure the continued excellence of UWS as a vital institution within the Scottish higher education landscape.
The EIS ULA calls upon UWS management to reconsider its position on any planned redundancies and enter into negotiations aimed at achieving a fair and equitable resolution to their dispute that safeguards jobs and protects the future of the university. The union remains committed to finding a negotiated settlement but is determined to win the ballot and will not hesitate to take industrial action if necessary to defend its members and the integrity of academic provision at the University of the West of Scotland.