THE Green MSP who is the new rector of crisis-struck Dundee University has used her installation speech to insist that “fair pay, safe workloads and protection from compulsory redundancies are non-negotiable.”

Professor Iain Gillespie resigned as principal last December, leaving a £30 million black hole in the institution’s finances. Despite an unprecedented Scottish government bailout, workers and students are still battling to save jobs a year on.

Pledging her support for the struggle, rector Maggie Chapman, who represents North East Scotland in the Scottish Parliament, said: “Education is not a commodity; it is a public good. 

“Let me be very clear: the demands of our campus trade unions — for fair pay, safe workloads and protection from compulsory redundancies — are non-negotiable foundations of a healthy university. 

“They are student issues too, because staff working conditions are student learning conditions. 

“To staff, I say: I see you and your fears, struggles, your expertise and commitment. You are the backbone of this institution and your voice must guide its recovery.

“To students, I say: your education, your wellbeing, your future — these are at the heart of my role. You deserve rigorous representation and I will work every day to ensure you have it.”