A view of Edinburgh University's Old College Quad
A view of Edinburgh University's Old College Quad Wiki Commons/Theoden sA

EDINBURGH, Scotland (Sept. 8, 2025) — Hundreds of staff at the University of Edinburgh have walked off the job at the start of "welcome week" in protest of planned job cuts that union leaders warn will damage the institution's reputation and student experience.

The University and College Union (UCU) said its members had "no choice" but to take industrial action after the university refused to rule out compulsory redundancies as part of a cost-cutting plan that could put as many as 1,800 jobs at risk. Union leaders described the planned cuts as the "largest ever seen" in Scottish higher education, arguing that Edinburgh — one of the country's wealthiest universities — could instead scale back capital projects or tap into its reserves.

Sophia Woodman, UCU branch president, said the timing could not be worse. "Students arriving this week on campus and starting their university journey should be able to be confident that they will complete their studies in a university that retains its current reputation for excellence and that offers students the courses they signed up for, as well as the support they need to do well in their studies," she said. "It's impossible, though, to cut 1,800 staff from any university without seriously impacting the teaching, research and student experience and damaging the university's reputation."

University principal Professor Sir Peter Mathieson defended the cuts, citing financial pressures across the UK higher education sector. "We have been transparent about the impact of these pressures on Edinburgh and the steps we are taking to proactively maintain our position as a world-leading university," Mathieson said. He added the administration respected the right to strike but pledged to minimize disruption to students.

The strike follows months of unrest, including a one-day walkout in June and ongoing "action short of a strike," such as working to contract and refusing extra duties.

This latest walkout comes as U.S. campuses are facing similar unrest. At the University of Minnesota, more than 1,400 service workers launched a rolling strike last week, disrupting campus services across the system as labor disputes in higher education continue to grow worldwide.