Hundreds of university staff to vote on strike action

More than 400 staff at Strathclyde University, including technicians and security staff, are voting on whether to go on strike over job cuts.

Trade union Unite says the university has treated staff with contempt by failing to consult unions and rule out compulsory redundancies,

The university said last month that it planned to cut almost 80 jobs to try to save £35m. The ballot will run until February.

The university, which is based in Glasgow, has been approached for comment. It is one of several Scottish universities to look at job cuts in recent years.

Details of which jobs may be at risk have not been made public by the university but it is thought the cuts could include roles at Strathclyde Business School and the National Manufacturing Institute Scotland.

Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said members had been left with no option other than to look at strike action.

She said: "Strathclyde University cannot get away with treating its dedicated workers with such contempt; many are understandably fearing for their livelihoods.

"The university is in a strong financial position and there is no need for it to take such punitive measures."

The UCU union - which represents many lecturers as well as some other white collar university staff - has said it will fight any compulsory redundancies.

Strathclyde was recently named Scottish University of the Year in The Times and The Sunday Times Good University Guide.

When the job cuts were announced last month the university said it was "proactively reshaping" finances to manage costs and increase income.

A spokesperson said: at the time: "This is a continuation of the approach we have taken over the past two years to manage costs and increase income.

"Using a wide range of measures, we are implementing £20m of planned savings this year and £15m next year."

Unite has argued any strike would affect cleaning, maintenance and the security of university buildings and student residences.

The union has also claimed technicians on strike could affect the ability of students to carry out work in laboratories.

Universities including Aberdeen, Dundee, Edinburgh and the West of Scotland have all been involved in cost-cutting recently, which some students say has had an adverse effect on their education.

The UCU is already balloting members at Strathclyde about possible strike action over redundancies.

It is also balloting its members at Aberdeen, Heriot-Watt and Stirling.