"We have today (Monday, 9 March) written to all staff, reaffirming our commitment to the agreement reached with the University College Union Edinburgh (UCUE) in December 2025. We entered that agreement in good faith and have continued to honour it in full. For us, it signalled positive progress, and above all it provided certainty for our students and staff by protecting teaching, marking and assessment from disruption.
“Looking across the country, it’s clear that the funding model for universities is under profound strain. In recognition of this, the Scottish Government and Universities Scotland have recently launched a review of the current and future funding of higher education in Scotland.
“However, we must also take action to address these urgent pressures. Our accounts show that costs are rising faster than our income. We have acted swiftly and decisively with a carefully planned approach that will deliver the recurrent savings required while seeking to avoid compulsory redundancies wherever possible.
“There is no doubt that these are challenging decisions, which is why constructive and ongoing engagement with trade unions is so important. We have continued to meet regularly, providing updates on the progress of projects and explaining the basis on which actions are being taken.
“We are doing all we can to safeguard the future of our great institution, aiming to ensure that it is able to provide opportunities for future generations of students and staff in the same way that it has for centuries before."