Glasgow Caledonian lecturers begin series of graduation-day strikes

Academic staff at Glasgow Caledonian University have begun a series of strike days over proposed job losses, which will include all graduation days over the summer.

Members of the Educational Institute of Scotland University Lecturers Association (EIS-ULA) voted for industrial action after a dispute was lodged in March but was not resolved.

EIS General Secretary Andrea Bradley said staff were striking to protect 100 jobs, research and course provision.

The university said it was being forced to reduce posts because of a drop in income from overseas students.

Strikes will take place on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, as well as 4 August and 7, 8 and 10 September.

Dr Nick McKerell, branch secretary EIS-ULA, said the union had proposed a costed plan which could avoid the cuts.

He said: "GCU has significant cash reserves of £95m, one of the highest in the country. A fraction of that could be used to save jobs in the short term."

Bradley said holding strikes on graduation dates would maximise impact, and claimed that students were supportive of the action.

She said: "On a day to celebrate their academic achievements we hope that they, along with their family and friends, will show support for their lecturers who helped them get to the point of graduation."

University bosses are hoping a targeted voluntary redundancy scheme will help reduce a projected £10m deficit.

A spokesman for Glasgow Caledonian University said the proposal to reduce posts came after a substantial drop in international student income.

He added: "Our campuses will be open as normal and we will do everything possible to minimise disruption."

Earlier this month, members of the UCU union at Glasgow Caledonian took strike action for three days.

Scotland's universities have seen a wave of industrial action in recent months.

Each dispute is separate - they each concern specific proposals or examples of cuts and job losses at individual universities.

But there is an important common theme which links them all. Ultimately, they concern the sustainability of university funding.

Universities receive their money from a number of sources: Scottish government money to pay for free tuition for Scots; tuition fees for students from the rest of the UK; far larger tuition fees for foreign students; research funding; commercial income.

The proportions vary from university to university. Universities find ways of balancing their books which in effect mean that commercial income and fees from overseas students help to support the education of Scots.

Some universities are facing worse problems than others. Dundee recently announced fresh plans for widespread job losses.

Free tuition for Scots is a line in the sand for both the Scottish government and many within academia.

It is not currently under threat but do the fundamental arrangements to make this sustainable need reviewed? In short, do universities simply need more government cash?

Or do universities need to make hard choices? Are some courses or departments unsustainable? Can they win more outside income? Can individual institutions become more efficient?

Individual disputes will be resolved by unions and universities.

But the fundamental issues behind the wave of disputes may provoke a wider debate.

The Scottish government and Universities Scotland - which represents the shared interests of all Scottish universities - are currently working together on a long-term review of the funding of higher education.