A strike by members of the University and College Union (UCU) planned to start next week (Tuesday 12 March) at the University of Aberdeen has been called off as the university withdrew the threat of compulsory redundancies from 26 members of staff.
UCU members at the university had been planning to take six days of strike action throughout March but the decision not to make staff redundant means the strike will not now take place. The university has been running a voluntary severance scheme, and the union said that, while it was sad to see people leaving the university, the fact that no-one is being forced out was a win for members and their willingness to take strike action to stop compulsory redundancies.
Aberdeen university UCU branch chair, Dr Rachel Shanks, said: "I want to thank every single member of our UCU branch who voted for strike action and who stood firm against the university's threat to force colleagues out of the university. It's good that, in the end, university senior managers listened to staff, students and the wider community, and have withdrawn the threat of compulsory redundancies. Hopefully university staff can now focus on teaching and supporting students, carrying out research and knowledge exchange and all the other activities that our members do."
