UNIVERSITY staff will be balloted for strike action in a row over cuts that threaten hundreds of jobs.

The University and College Union (UCU) says a walk out is “on the cards” if Middlesex University does not row back from what the organisation described as a “threat of compulsory job losses”.

The institution is looking at charging at the top end for tuition fees and was billed as one of the hardest hit by funding cuts.

Union bosses say 300 jobs are on the line and expect half of the savings planned to hit academic staff.

Sally Hunt, UCU general secretary, said: “Industrial action is always a last resort, but a strike is on the cards if the university refuses to withdraw its threat of compulsory job losses.

“At a time when students and their families start to expect more bang for the extra bucks they are being forced to shell out for higher education, universities should be doing all they can to improve quality and their reputation – not axing staff.”

A ballot for strike action will open next Tuesday, August 30, and a result is expected on Wednesday, September 21.