Some 3,000 Edinburgh University staff begin five-week strike over £140m cuts that threaten 1,800 jobs

From the Newshound archive · first published 28 September 2026 · last updated 29 September 2026.

Staff at the University of Edinburgh walked out on Monday, launching five weeks of strike action that will run until October 30 in a dispute over £140 million in cuts and compulsory redundancies. The University and College Union claims 1,800 posts will be eliminated in total, with 90 academic programmes — including Celtic languages and Scottish Literature — already facing closure. UCU branch co-president Cecile Menard said disruption to students at the start of term is "entirely down to university senior management" and insisted the strike can end today if management agrees to their demands.

Student Will Fearn warned the cuts will decimate education quality: 'We're getting into very large debt — we want what we pay for.'

Staff describe a 'toxic environment' of poor communication over two years, with senior lecturer Charlotte Bosseaux saying management has shown 'no transparency.'

The union says the university is not in deficit — its own principal confirmed as much to the Scottish Parliament — making the cuts to staff budgets impossible to justify.