On Thursday April 20, the University and College Union (UCU) will begin a UK-wide marking and assessment boycott that will affect students at the University of Edinburgh.
Boycotting staff members will cease all summative assessment marking, as well as associated assessment activities.
This includes exam invigilation, processing of marks, assessment related administration such as distribution of scripts, organisation of exams and attendance at exam boards/meetings.
Guidance on the boycott for UCU members at the University of Edinburgh states that no feedback or grading should be given through LEARN or Turnitin.
The UCU’s boycott covers all marking and assessment processes at any stage whether undergraduate or postgraduate.
Examination of dissertations and theses at postgraduate level, as well as PHD vivas, are included in the action.
The boycott comes as part of the ongoing pay, working conditions and pensions dispute between members of the UCU and their employers.
UCU says that the boycott will continue until the disputes are settled, the union calls off the boycott, or at the end of the industrial action ballot mandate.
At the start of April, the UCU successfully renewed its strike mandate for a further six months, meaning action could continue until September.
The union states that the action was the only option available after the Universities and Colleges Employers Association (UCEA) and Universities UK (UUK) refused to meaningfully engage during talks.
UCU is seeking a pay rise of 2% above inflation, or of 12%.
They also want to see the elimination of ‘precarious employment practices’, and action to avoid excessive workloads and unpaid work.
Concerns have been raised by some students worried the boycott will affect their ability to graduate.
The University of Edinburgh says that it is working to minimise any potential impact of the industrial action on those who would be expecting to graduate.
They have also stated that they expect all eligible students to be able to graduate as planned.
A University of Edinburgh spokesperson told The Student: “The University has robust measures in place to reduce impact on students”.
They also said they will “make every effort to provide assessment, exam results, degree award outcomes and progression decisions to students by the published timelines.”
“UCU Edinburgh Parliament” by Magnus Hagdorn is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0.