2 March 2007

Joint statement from the University of Dundee and Campus Trade Unions

Dundee University and the campus trade unions (AMICUS, UCU and UNISON) met on Friday 2nd March in a consultation meeting which focussed on the avoidance of redundancies and related matters.

It was noted that, while approving the Sustainability Review Report, the University Court had not supported compulsory redundancies and had asked officers to strive to achieve the targets set out in the report by voluntary means.

The consultations are being conducted with a view to reaching agreement.

At this initial consultation meeting, agreement was reached on the avoidance of compulsory redundancy, in the following terms:

The University will work in consultation with the campus unions to achieve any financial savings that impact on staffing by purely voluntary means, with an emphasis on methods which can retain staff in the University. In the unlikely event that the financial savings are not achieved by voluntary means, whether in the staffing budget or elsewhere, the University would bring the whole issue back to the table for further consultation with the unions, with an open mind as to how the situation would be addressed and bearing in mind our mutual intention to avoid compulsory redundancy.

Further consultations will take place on an ongoing basis.

For media enquiries contact:

Roddy Isles
Head, Press Office
University of Dundee
Nethergate Dundee, DD1 4HN
TEL: 01382 384910
E-MAIL: r.isles@dundee.ac.uk