City Governance Committee 21st April 2025

Item 4 – UNIVERSITY OF DUNDEE – FINANCIAL AND JOBS CRISIS

Committee notes with grave concern the financial and jobs crisis at the University of Dundee and stands in solidarity with the university staff and students at this extremely worrying time for all at the university.

It recognises that the University of Dundee has over many years played a hugely positive role in transforming people’s lives and life chances through education, research and innovation, and has contributed much to the economic, social and cultural life of the city and beyond.

Specifically – committee :

• views the proposed loss of 632 full-time equivalent posts that the university suggests potentially impacting up to 700 staff members as completely unacceptable and that all efforts must be made to avoid redundancies and retain jobs at the university. It commends the work of the university’s trades unions in defending workers’ jobs and conditions at the university and supports their demands for an immediate withdrawal of this proposal.

• welcomes the establishment of the independent investigation into University of Dundee finances, to be overseen by Professor Pamela Gillies, former Principal at Glasgow Caledonian University.

• further welcomes the establishment of the University of Dundee Strategic Advisory Taskforce to be chaired by former university principal Sir Alan Langlands.

• confirms that the City Council will take all practical steps it can to assist the process to ensure jobs are saved, that the university can be returned to financial stability and to ensure that the university and its staff and students have a positive future.

• calls on the university to restore previous levels of food support for students in financial difficulty using the withheld pay from striking staff as both students and strikers have requested.

Bailie Fraser Macpherson

Councillor Mark Flynn

Bailie Kevin Keenan

Bailie Derek Scott

21st April 2025