As such, the statutory mandate for industrial action has been increased from six months to one year.
Under the previous regime, members of the University and College Union (UCU) at the university would have been forced to pause industrial action in October in order to reballot for further action.
Edinburgh University faces a year of industrial action. (Image: Gordon Terris)
However, they are now not required to do so until April 2027.
As a result, staff are legally able to continue an ongoing marking and assessment boycott (MAB) for twelve months, as well as engage in strikes and other forms of action.
UCU members are undertaking industrial action over plans to cut £140m from the institution’s budget, including £90m in staff salaries.
The union has estimated that as many as 1,800 people could lose their jobs.
UCU Edinburgh branch president Sophia Woodman told The Herald: “UCU Edinburgh just got its third industrial action mandate in a row, all consecutive. And the current one, because it’s under the new Employment Rights Bill brought in by Labour, is for a whole year.”
“The terms of the dispute are a bit broader than before. We want no compulsory redundancies, and we want measures to address hidden redundancies.
“We want non-staff related cuts to be exhausted before any cuts are made to staff. We want real action to address ballooning workloads and the cuts to staff have made that problem immensely worse and it was already bad.
“Finally, we want meaningful consultation… we feel we need a bit more than just information sharing sessions.”
UCU general secretary Jo Grady previously warned of a “year of disruption” at the institution if management does not come to the table.
Sophia Woodman. (Image: NQ)
Last week, she said: “This new mandate means there could now be a further year of disruption at Edinburgh if management won’t work with us to resolve this dispute.
“Having failed to do so since announcing these cuts 13 months ago, it now needs to engage meaningfully with members and rule out compulsory redundancies.”
Dr Woodman added: “Our members don’t want to go on the MAB.
“They’re doing it as a last resort to try to halt this tide of job losses at Edinburgh Uni because we don’t think management needs to be doing this.
“I totally get that students are concerned,” she remarked. “So, yeah, please, students, write to the principal. Tell him UCU Edinburgh is ready to try to work out a resolution of this dispute tomorrow.”
For their part, university bosses have reacted strongly to the boycott, which they say could affect student graduations and progression.
As a result, all staff participating in the MAB are to be deducted 100% of their pay during the entirety of the action.
University officials have informed staff that participating in the boycott constitutes a “breach of contract of employment”.
A letter sent to staff stated that pay would be deducted “due to the potentially significant impact on students”.
“Staff who are participating in the boycott will not be obliged to carry out any other work (including non-marking and assessment work) while they are participating,” the letter remarked.
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University principal and vice chancellor Peter Mathieson has criticised the UCU for creating “unnecessary strain on our students during an already challenging and important time”.
“Students will understandably have very real concerns about the disruption this boycott will cause, given that for some this may impact receiving awards or outcomes on progression,” Professor Mathieson said last week.
“We will take all practical steps to keep exams and coursework submissions on track to support our students’ ability to progress and graduate,” he added.
“The University will continue to offer consultation with union representatives and continue to uphold our commitments under the agreement reached in December 2025, as we believe this is in the best interests of our staff.”