Over 30 Unite members at Oxford University Press (OUP) are taking further strike action this week in a dispute around offshoring.

Workers in its finance operations team already walked out earlier this month after their employer announced plans to move the department to EXL Services. This firm provides its services from India, meaning the almost 50 affected OUP staff will be unable to TUPE transfer and will lose their jobs.

The affected staff have also been asked to stay on for six months to train their replacements, which has been described as an ‘insult’.

Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “Our members have been cast aside and treated extremely poorly by their wealthy employer, who is clearly putting profits over people.

“Unite will always fight plans to offshore our members’ jobs. and our members at OUP have our full support during this dispute.”

The latest offshoring plans at OUP come on the back of several larger groups of its employees being made redundant, including 113 proposed redundancies last November in its education and English language teaching divisions.

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 while its CEO Nigel Portwood was paid $1,486,174 in 2024/25.

Unite members are striking until 9 October.

Unite regional officer Naomi Gravett said: "These workers are highly dedicated professionals who have been left devastated by this news and it is an insult they will be expected to train their replacements.

“They believe they have had no choice but to escalate strike action in a bid to save their jobs.”