Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Only the apps you allow.

Meet the Other Phone.
Only the apps you allow.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
University staff common room

This board is for university-based professionals. Find discussions about A Levels and universities on our Further education forum.

Original poster

Marking & Assessment Boycott

516 replies

aridapricot · 13/04/2023 17:06

So how do you think this will pan out this time? Are you taking part? How do you think things will go in your university/department?
My uni is docking 30% pay. Also in my department (where the spirit tends to be "yes we'll do whatever UCU asks us to do but we'll also go out of our way to cause any inconvenience to students") people are already talking about mitigations... 🙄I am not a UCU member and won't be taking part but I also fear that at some point I will be asked to cover colleague's marking or (even worse) redistribute it (given that I'm HoD).

OP posts:
Thread gallery
14
ghislaine · 25/04/2023 19:32

You’d think so but I have a colleague who’s refused to provide a marking guide for work that needs marking now so presumably he’s on board with deductions for the next six months. All avoidable if only it’d been done and sent out one day before the MAB kicked in…

Original poster
aridapricot · 26/04/2023 21:06

I found out today that my university is guaranteeing to finalists that they will graduate, and apparently are prepared to do anything to ensure it (reallocating marking in the first instance, but eventually allowing graduation with missing grades and without ratification from EEs).

Do you think this will be the norm across the sector? If so, you have to wonder whether a MAB (which for a while I saw as the only form of action which could make employers budge) is really that effective. You could argue that degrees awarded under these conditions will be devalued and employers will be aware of it but frankly I don't see this having much impact on Arts and Humanities degrees - STEM or professional degrees might perhaps be a different matter.

OP posts:
ghislaine · 26/04/2023 21:14

My institution did this last year (not sure about reallocation) but there were definitely graduations with missing grades. I assume the actual date of graduation aligned with the eventual grade given and then ceremony was just for show. Otherwise you would have to suspend your degree regs to change the required no of credits for (actual) graduation.

Oftenaddled · 26/04/2023 21:18

QAA may have questions to ask here - as far as I know they haven't suggested they'd accept such an approach, and they have been asked.

And yes, professional accreditation would be an issue so this wouldn't work for a large diverse institution like mine anyway.

Oftenaddled · 26/04/2023 21:20

Oftenaddled · 26/04/2023 21:18

QAA may have questions to ask here - as far as I know they haven't suggested they'd accept such an approach, and they have been asked.

And yes, professional accreditation would be an issue so this wouldn't work for a large diverse institution like mine anyway.

Sorry was in reply to @aridapricot re pressing on with graduation without marks / moderation. Dodgy.

titchy · 26/04/2023 21:28

I'm sure they would, but at least in England QAA has nothing to do with higher education any more. 🤦‍♀️

FufferPish · 27/04/2023 09:27

My institution is also taking (somewhat) stern punitive action, but not as punitive as other institutions. Local UCU members have been sending out (imho coercive) emails requesting non-UCU staff to declare whether they support the MAB or not. I am not comfortable with this approach and have reported it informally to their (the UCU member sending the email) line manager, but they're rather limp and pandering so don't expect any meaningful action.

Does anyone know what the legal allowances are in this case for the union (and universities)? My institution is saying people must declare if they are taking part in the MAB (which I am not sure is legal), as is the union, so people are a bit stuck in between.

Original poster
aridapricot · 27/04/2023 10:53

Local UCU members have been sending out (imho coercive) emails requesting non-UCU staff to declare whether they support the MAB or not

Hm this sounds weird - do you know why they're doing that, is it just to "name and shame"? Is it individual UCU members e-mailing people in their department/division?

OP posts:
FufferPish · 27/04/2023 11:25

@aridapricot it is just to canvass support for their cause. It's worrying as they are approaching people across departments and it seems like a concerted effort. Most of the staff react to these emails jus tignoring them, but I am worried that the people who have newly joined our department feel like they have to declare something. We would not generlaly allow people to randomly write others to support their goals. Although we sometimes get 'please support me in knitting a large blanket/run a a marathon for charity X', but that seems different from emails implying that "if you do not explicitly declare your (lack of) support, you clearly don't care about your students and striking colleagues who are striking FOR YOU to benefit from without doing anything".

Original poster
aridapricot · 27/04/2023 11:29

Yeah that sounds terrible, I am sorry you're faced with this. There is a lot of 'anti-scab', borderline bullying rhetoric on Twitter but tbf I doubt that this 'concerted effort' is something that UCU would officially encourage or support, it certainly wouldn't be a good look for them.

OP posts:
FufferPish · 27/04/2023 11:36

aridapricot · 27/04/2023 11:29

Yeah that sounds terrible, I am sorry you're faced with this. There is a lot of 'anti-scab', borderline bullying rhetoric on Twitter but tbf I doubt that this 'concerted effort' is something that UCU would officially encourage or support, it certainly wouldn't be a good look for them.

Well, I personally don't care and just ignore, but when it concerns junior staff I am required to take action (which I did). I don't support bullies.

ghislaine · 27/04/2023 12:09

Sounds like something that would happen at my place, we have some UCU zealots here.

Acinonyx2 · 27/04/2023 19:07

50% to be docked at my place - and seems that majority of dept will be supporting the MAB. I don't have a clear answer on how the marking will be handled i.e. how those of us not on the MAB will be impacted.

ghislaine · 28/04/2023 12:25

Jo Edge is on twitter saying that it would be a strategic fail for everyone to go on MAB as it would exhaust the strike fund. How do you choose who is going o take the hit on behalf of the branch? Isn't a bit late to be thinking about this? No doubt another strike fund levy looms.

GCAcademic · 28/04/2023 12:27

ghislaine · 28/04/2023 12:25

Jo Edge is on twitter saying that it would be a strategic fail for everyone to go on MAB as it would exhaust the strike fund. How do you choose who is going o take the hit on behalf of the branch? Isn't a bit late to be thinking about this? No doubt another strike fund levy looms.

Incredible. I have no words.

Chemenger · 28/04/2023 13:32

It doesn’t make sense for everyone to join the MAB. If someone only had a small amount of marking (I’ve seen someone on twitter who has one report to mark) then the effect that them joining the action has on the university is negligible. Better that they just carry on working and donate to the strike fund. I will be marking two popular final year modules and moderating a major group project, which involves marking several 100 page reports. If I didn’t do that, and nobody took it up, then we would potentially have too little to grade our fourth years on with any reliability. It’s people like me who would make the MAB worthwhile. I don’t think it has really been thought through whether the people they need for this to work are the people who are active in the union. In May I do pretty much nothing other than assessment.

ghislaine · 28/04/2023 14:33

But I can well imagine that people will join the MAB even if they only have a small amount of non-critical marking to do. Then they will have 50-100% deductions and will claim from the strike fund.

Oftenaddled · 28/04/2023 21:03

ghislaine · 28/04/2023 14:33

But I can well imagine that people will join the MAB even if they only have a small amount of non-critical marking to do. Then they will have 50-100% deductions and will claim from the strike fund.

If we were acting strategically, whether people with more or less marking should strike depends what happens next at each institution and what you are marking.

If you'll be asked to cover colleagues' marking alongside your lower load, you're better off striking . If your lower load is strategically important - you're specialist, hard to replace you as a marker - you're more effective striking.

I have a very minor role in marking. I could hand it to a friend in return for ongoing mutual support very easily. But I am also a strategic bottleneck. So I can strike, and I can declare late as possible for maximum impact.

I don't know what Jo Edge's role is, but you can't ask union members not to take part in union action. It's like asking voters not to vote. Insulting. They could refine their campaign now they have the measure of VCs reactions.

Oftenaddled · 28/04/2023 22:02

FufferPish · 27/04/2023 11:36

Well, I personally don't care and just ignore, but when it concerns junior staff I am required to take action (which I did). I don't support bullies.

Show quote history

Likewise. They're behaving foolishly anyway. You're hardly going to turn many people this way, and you take away one of the main advantages of boycott action - uncertainty.

GCAcademic · 29/04/2023 15:56

Are there any further talks planned aimed at resolving the dispute?

ghislaine · 30/04/2023 19:58

I don’t know about movements in the 4F dispute but I was quite surprised to learn the other day that you can only apply to the central strike fund if your institution is deducting at 100%. Otherwise it’s the local fund. I can’t see that being sustainable.

Oftenaddled · 30/04/2023 21:14

ghislaine · 30/04/2023 19:58

I don’t know about movements in the 4F dispute but I was quite surprised to learn the other day that you can only apply to the central strike fund if your institution is deducting at 100%. Otherwise it’s the local fund. I can’t see that being sustainable.

Most people will have used up their 11 day limit by now anyway, I suppose. They need to review the November 2022 policy. It obviously wasn't written for current circumstances.

What is this about local fighting funds though? Do others have them? I'm fairly sure we don't.

ghislaine · 30/04/2023 21:15

There’s one at my place and they regularly solicit funds for it.

Oftenaddled · 30/04/2023 21:21

ghislaine · 30/04/2023 21:15

There’s one at my place and they regularly solicit funds for it.

I had no idea! Ours never collects a penny and refers us to national for support or to donate. Amazingly varied sector we work for.

muggleswick · 09/05/2023 16:47

Has anyone who is taking part in the MAB had a random sum of money labelled 'UCU Support' deposited in their bank account over the weekend?

I definitely didn't claim for this as have only claimed once re the Fighting Fund in February and was waiting for the evidence by way of my May payslip before submitting another claim.

I did see a UCU tweet at the weekend about them making a further £250k available but thought another announcement was yet to be made regarding how they were going release further support funds.