A STRIKE ballot is now underway at the University of West of Scotland (UWS) as bosses plan to axe 75 full-time-equivalent jobs.

The Educational Institute of Scotland’s (EIS) University Lecturers’ Association launched the ballot amid ongoing concerns that senior management running the UWS’s cost-cutting Organisational Change Project have not only committed themselves to job cuts, but have failed to rule out compulsory redundancies. 

Urging members across the university’s Paisley, Ayr, Blantyre and Dumfries campuses to back the strike call, EIS national officer for higher education Garry Ross said: “It is deeply regrettable that the UWS has chosen to make this large number of job cuts and pushed staff to the point of balloting for strike action.

“The proposed redundancies are a short-sighted and a damaging strategy that will have a devastating impact on the livelihoods of dedicated staff, many of whom have worked at UWS for years.

“Furthermore, it will inevitably lead to a decline in the academic provision, research capacity, and overall student experience at the university.

“We urge UWS to step back from this path and engage meaningfully with the EIS ULA to secure a no compulsory redundancy guarantee.”

A UWS spokesperson insisted they had “sought to engage with our recognised trade union representatives” on the plans, adding: “The aim throughout this university-wide process is to put UWS on a more sustainable financial footing.

“In common with the rest of the higher education sector across the UK, the university is operating in a very challenging financial environment, exacerbated by external factors that have driven a significant change in the size and shape of our student population, and the associated funding.”

The strike ballot will close at noon on July 22.