Over 30 Unite members at Oxford University Press (OUP) will take strike action next month, after their employer announced plans to move nearly 50 roles to India.

The decision to offshore the finance operations department to EXL Services, who will provide services from India, means it is impossible for staff to TUPE transfer with the work.

This follows a proposal to make 113 redundancies in the UK last November, with most affecting its education and English language teaching divisions. Meanwhile, OUP recently acquired Swiss publisher Karger and made 76 redundancies, a move described as a “massacre”. 

In recent years OUP has also faced accusations of labour violations in its New York office, with employees going on strike in June 2024 to contest a series of unfair labour practices while negotiating a union contract.

Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: "Oxford University Press’ offshoring plan is a classic case of an employer prioritising greed over its hardworking staff.

"It is an absolute disgrace that it has pushed through this decision and put our members' jobs at risk. Unite will fight all the way to protect our members' jobs and they have our full backing."

Initial strikes will take place from 1 to 11 September.

OUP is the publishing house of the University of Oxford and is the largest university press in the world. According to its most recent annual report, OUP made profits of £47.1m 2025/26 and has £329.5m in the bank.

According to non-profit filings in the USA, CEO Nigel Portwood was paid $1,486,174 in 2024/25.

Unite regional officer Naomi Gravett said: "Strike action is completely the fault of OUP. Its plans mark the latest in a long list of it putting profits over people. It is a wealthy employer and simply does not need to cut costs by outsourcing our members' jobs abroad.”

ENDS

Notes to editors

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