A FRESH round of strikes at crisis-struck Dundee University was announced yesterday after management axed hundreds of jobs.

The university was plunged into turmoil last year, when the then principal Iain Gillespie resigned leaving a £30 million budget black hole. 

An unprecedented Scottish government bailout earlier this year created space for an agreement on 300 voluntary redundancies.

But last week, interim university principal, Professor Nigel Seaton, told the Holyrood’s education, children and young people committee that more job cuts would be required, raising the spectre of compulsory redundancies once more.

Announcing the strike running from Monday to Friday next week, UCU Dundee branch co-president Melissa D’Ascenzio said: “Staff are striking next week to defend jobs, and to demand, a year after they first learnt about the debacle caused by the university’s leadership, that university senior managers finally rule out the use of compulsory redundancies.”

UCU general secretary Jo Grady added: “It’s galling that, once again, staff hear about more job cuts in the Parliament and in the media.

“It’s beyond time for Nigel Seaton to conclusively rule out compulsory redundancies.”

Dundee University was contacted for comment.