History. 2 of 7. The University of the West of Scotland after 36 days and Heriot-Watt, for one department until spring 2027, after about 12 weeks. Dundee, Aberdeen, Robert Gordon, Birmingham and Network Rail did not within three months.
Hunch. The principal, Sir Peter Mathieson, said on 28 September that the situation is not sustainable, and the Scottish government has said it cannot step in directly (BBC News, 28 Sep 2026; 24 Mar 2026).
The forced job cuts market resolves on the University of Edinburgh's news pages and statements to staff: YES if between 28 September and 28 December 2026 the university says it will not use compulsory redundancies, for all staff, for a named group of staff, or until a stated date. BBC News and The Herald reports settle it if the university's pages are silent.
We looked for cases where an employer short of money cut jobs, a union answered with strikes that cost its own members their pay, and people outside the dispute, such as students or residents, paid the price. We kept the cases where the government or another public funder could pay. We found seven since 2022. Five are Scottish universities; the others are Birmingham's bin strike and Network Rail. We counted from the first day of strikes.