UCU members facing hundreds of job losses at the University of Edinburgh will launch a marking and assessment boycott on Friday.

The move comes after 13 months of action against plans to slash £140 million of spending and axe up to 1,800 jobs — the biggest cuts package in Scottish higher education history.

Tensions with workers already infuriated by management’s refusal to rule out compulsory redundancies escalated further last week when they vowed to deduct all pay from anyone taking part in the boycott.

Edinburgh UCU branch president Sophia Woodman said: “We’ve been forced into this by the inaction and unwillingness of management to resolve this dispute. 

“Edinburgh University, a charity, is one of the richest universities in the UK. No charity should be sitting on savings of billions while cutting the staff who deliver their core purpose.”

University principal and vice chancellor Professor Sir Peter Mathieson said: “This action is completely unjustifiable and will add unnecessary strain on our students during an already challenging and important time.

“UCUE representatives may say that they want constructive engagement, however, this decision and timing suggests otherwise.”