MORE than 1,000 UCU members at Newcastle University will be balloted for strike action in protest at deep cuts to the institution’s budget, the union announced today.

The ballot, which opens next Monday, follows a management announcement of £35 million in cost savings, which the university said it needed to make because of a shortfall in international student numbers.

The cuts have led to the university cancelling staff promotions,  restricting travel and asking staff to leave the institution via a voluntary severance scheme.