Dundee University has decided to “suspend” its membership of the CBI in the wake of the business body’s backing of Better Together.
The lobby group’s decision to register with the Electoral Commission as a backer of the pro-Union campaign caused controversy earlier in the week.
Glasgow, Edinburgh, Aberdeen, Strathclyde and Glasgow Caledonian universities all quit the group in a bid to stay neutral, which a spokesman for Dundee said was behind its decision.
He added: “We greatly value our links with CBI Scotland and the benefits they have brought the University, particularly in developing our employability strategy which is giving students the best skills for a life in industry.
“However, while the University of Dundee hosts debate from all sides in the discussion around Scottish independence, we maintain a strictly neutral position on the issue as an institution.
“We have therefore decided to suspend our membership of CBI Scotland for the time being. We would wish to emphasise that our decision would have been the same regardless of which side of the independence debate CBI was positioned.”
This position leaves the door open to the university renewing its membership with minimal fuss once the independence referendum has passed and CBI membership is seen less through a political prism and is back to being more about business.
It comes following a meeting of senior staff members this morning.
Earlier in the week, Aberdeen’s Robert Gordon University expressed its disapproval at the decision, but decided to remain a CBI member.
For full details and reaction, see Thursday’s Courier or try our digital edition.