UNIVERSITY of Edinburgh bosses have launched a voluntary redundancy scheme for staff, as the principal warned the higher education sector is “facing serious and urgent financial challenges”.
On Thursday, the institution said senior staff would be able to apply for voluntary redundancy and it was seeking to avoid compulsory redundancies “wherever possible”.
Professor Sir Peter Mathieson, the university’s principal, said this was part of measures to maintain financial sustainability.
In addition to launching a voluntary redundancy scheme, which is for staff in senior grades, the university is also offering an “enhanced” retirement scheme for employees.
It comes four months after Mathieson said 350 staff at the university had chosen to take voluntary redundancy as part of an earlier initiative.
Announcing the latest voluntary redundancy scheme, Mathieson said: “The higher education sector across the UK is facing serious and urgent financial challenges, placing its stability under threat.
“At Edinburgh, we have been transparent about how we are managing these pressures while strengthening our position as a world-leading, research-intensive university.
“As part of this, we have today (August 28) announced a voluntary redundancy scheme for staff in senior grades, alongside an enhanced retirement scheme, which will support efforts to remain financially sustainable and avoid compulsory redundancies wherever possible.”
He continued: “This builds on our earlier cost-saving measures – including recruitment restraint, a pause on promotions, and a previous voluntary severance scheme – which have resulted in projected staff cost savings of £24 million.
“We remain firmly committed to open and regular engagement with our community as we take the necessary steps to safeguard the future of our university.”
In April, around 350 staff at the University of Edinburgh accepted voluntary redundancy as the university continued to battle with its finances.
The National reported how the institution faces a £140 million financial black hole, equivalent to about 10% of the university’s annual turnover.
At the time, Mathieson warned further cuts could take place, while a freeze on academic promotions was also announced for the 2025/26 academic year.
Speaking to The National following the cuts, the Edinburgh branch of the University and College Union (UCU) said the latest round of cuts were "arbitrary" and "poorly thought out".
UCU Edinburgh president Sophia Woodman said: "We dispute the need for the depths of staff cuts that management is proposing – we've said all along that we don't think this is necessary.
"The idea that you can cut staff to the extent they're proposing and continue to maintain the university's core mission is pie in the sky.
"There's so much being done which is arbitrary and very poorly thought out – this is just the latest round."
UCU Edinburgh has already confirmed plans to take strike action between September 8 to 12 – the first week of the new semester – as a result of the ongoing dispute.
Woodman added that while the Edinburgh branch had tried to engage in negotiations with university management, she argued there had been "no effort to engage with members' concerns".
