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Fourth union joins strike at Glasgow Caledonian university

News imageBBC Protestors standing outside a university campus, with many waving placards or flags. One person close to the camera holds up a large green and white sign saying DEFENDING OUR JOBS AT GCU, with others hold pink or purple flags or banners.BBC
Staff at Glasgow Caledonian walked out earlier in October

Glasgow Caledonian University is facing effective closure for one day this week after a fourth union announced plans to strike.

Staff with the Unite union are to join colleagues from the UCU, the EIS and Unison in walking out on Thursday.

The dispute is over plans by management at the university to cut about 50 posts - which could include compulsory redundancies - which they say will secure the institution's finances.

However, unions say the the cuts are "a vindictive choice" rather than a necessity. Three of the unions have already taken strike action in recent weeks.

In March, the university announced plans to cut up to 100 posts, saying this was needed to cover a drop in income from international students.

Voluntary redundancies brought that figure down to about 50 but compulsory redundancies remain possible.

The unions want a guarantee nobody will be forced to leave, but university leaders say they cannot provide such a promise.

The UCU, the EIS and Unison all walked out on 1 October, while staggered strike action by different groups of workers has taken place on other days since then.

More than 50 Unite members will now walk out on Thursday as well.

Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: "Glasgow Caledonian University's attack on jobs, pay and conditions is unnecessary and a vindicative choice by its management.

"Our members have been left with no option but to fight back against these unnecessary cuts."

News imageProtestors standing outside a university campus, with many waving placards or flags. The placards are in pink or purple and say things like NO COMPULSORY REDUNDANCIES in large capital letters.
The Unite union will now join colleagues from the UCU, the EIS and Unison

The move marks the first time all campus unions have collectively taken industrial action at Glasgow Caledonian.

The unions claim the university has about £95m in cash reserves, while also criticising a controversial plan to spend around £4.5m of funds on purchasing land in the city centre.

The university says buying and selling land is part of a long-standing strategy.

It previously highlighted that it is facing a £10m deficit in the next financial year, and said the cuts are needed to put it back on a "sound financial footing".

Alison MacLean, a regional coordinating officer with Unite, said: "The joint action will force the university to close its doors and lecture rooms.

"That is a sad position for the workers and students to be in but that's a situation the university has brought upon itself."

The strike comes as Scotland's universities grapple with funding issues.

About 3,000 staff are currently carrying out five weeks of strikes at the University of Edinburgh over £140m of cuts, while Dundee University staff are also staging a five-week walkout.