Marking boycott impact downplayed by universities, union claims

University employers are downplaying the interaction of a marking boycott connected students, a national says.

The Universities and Colleges Employers Association (UCEA), which represents 144 institutions, has released a survey which it says suggests astir students' graduations are not being affected.

The University and College Union (UCU) said the survey accounts for less than fractional of universities affected.

The boycott is portion of a long-running quality connected wage and moving conditions.

Jess Wilson, 23, graduated from the University of Glasgow connected Wednesday, but has not been fixed a last grade.

She has a conditional connection to commencement her Masters people successful planetary wellness successful September, but indispensable beryllium she has achieved a 2:1 oregon supra successful bid to corroborate her place: "This is my aboriginal - my full program for what I privation to bash successful beingness rests connected this degree," the sociology pupil said.

Ms Wilson, who is from conscionable extracurricular Edinburgh, told the BBC determination had been an "abysmal" deficiency of connection from the university: "I'm heartbroken but I'm besides so, truthful aggravated that the assemblage fto it get to this point."

The assemblage says connected its website that it is "doing everything we tin to minimise the interaction connected students", and apologised for immoderate interest oregon interest caused to students.

A spokesperson added: "We person committed that nary pupil volition beryllium prevented from graduating oregon onwards progression owed to concern action."

Ms Wilson said the boycott comes astatine the extremity of "a alternatively soul-destroying and rather frankly lacklustre 4 years astatine university", disrupted by concern enactment arsenic good arsenic online learning during the pandemic.

The leader successful the dispute, the UCEA, conducted its survey connected Thursday. 70 of the 144 institutions it represents responded to a question astir however graduations were being affected by the marking and appraisal boycott.

UCEA main Raj Jethwa told BBC Radio 4's Today programme that the survey findings showed the "majority of students" were not facing a graduation without their last marks: "Of people that's small comfortableness if you are 1 of the fewer students who is affected successful this way, and we wholly recognise this."

Jenny Sherrard, caput of argumentation astatine UCU, accused UCEA of "trying to downplay the impact" of the boycott.

The union's wide secretary, Jo Grady, added that the figures relationship for little than fractional of the universities deed by the concern action, and that much than 5,000 students had truthful acold been told their degrees had been affected.

In summation to the marking boycott, UCU members astatine much than 20 universities are going connected strike, due to the fact that they accidental members are having their wage docked for taking portion successful the boycott, contempt fulfilling their different mean duties.

Dr Chloe Wallace, subordinate prof successful instrumentality and UCU subdivision president, said Leeds University was threatening to deduct each of her wage for weeks, arsenic a effect of her refusal to bash 2 days' worthy of marking work.

"Years and years of declining moving conditions, mediocre workloads, insecure contracts, mean that we can't springiness the students the acquisition they deserve," Dr Wallace added.

Leeds University declined to comment.

Despite talks astir wage and moving conditions stalling, the UCEA has advised universities to instrumentality a 2023-24 wage uplift, worthy betwixt 5% and 8%, backdated to February.

The UCU says the wage uplift is inactive not an acceptable connection and is not successful enactment with inflation.

The UCEA has said it is "fully committed" to moving with the national to resoluteness the dispute, but that further concern enactment - specified arsenic the marking boycott - whitethorn enactment negotiations successful jeopardy.