UCU calls for marking and assessment boycott starting on 20th April

The University and College Union (UCU) announced on Twitter that university employers have been warned of marking and assessment boycotts (MABs) beginning on Thursday, 20th April.

This is the latest escalation in the union’s ongoing disputes with university employers over pay, working conditions, and pensions.

It also came after the union renewed its national mandate for strikes and action short of strikes (ASOS) at 150 UK universities, including 31 in London, on 3rd April. While this suggests the latest call for MABs will apply to all London universities involved, there have been no confirmations from any London UCU branches so far except for several of them sharing and supporting the original tweet.

Our union has today served notice on employers for a marking and assessment boycott to begin later this month in the pension and pay & conditions disputes#ucuRISING

1/ pic.twitter.com/hi1t6cvPSp

— UCU (@ucu) April 5, 2023

The UCU represents academic staff like lecturers and tutors at UK universities and colleges. Over the past few years, it has called numerous strikes, action short of strikes, and MABs over two disputes with their employers: one for better pay and working conditions, and the other against cuts to pensions and benefits.

In addition to calling fifteen days of strikes so far this academic year, the union warned since October that they plan to call MABs that “strategically target the summer finals” if a settlement is not reached by April.

A MAB would mean participating staff will not grade coursework or invigilate exams, but it will not affect the assessment of postgraduate dissertations and theses.

UCEA is nervous about a national marking boycott, as shown in their attempts to divide us. So hopefully the threat is enough to get them to talk seriously.

But if we have to do a MAB: WE'VE GOT THIS. Branches have done local MABs and are sharing great resources. Some in 🧵+ add! pic.twitter.com/jbHebspT78

— Queen Mary UCU (@qm_ucu) April 5, 2023

The 31 London universities affected by the current dispute, along with over 150 unis around the country, are:

1. Birkbeck, University of London
2. Brunel University London
3. City, University of London
4. Courtauld Institute of Art
5. University of East London
6. Goldsmiths, University of London
7. University of Greenwich
8. Imperial College London
9. King’s College London
10. Kingston University
11. London Metropolitan University
12. London School of Economics

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13. London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine
14. London South Bank University
15. Middlesex University
16. Queen Mary, University of London
17. Roehampton University
18. Royal Academy of Music
19. Royal Central School of Speech and Drama
20. Royal College of Art
21. Royal College of Music
22. Royal Holloway, University of London
23. Royal Veterinary College, University of London
24. Senate House, University of London
25. SOAS, University of London
26. St George’s, University of London
27. St Mary’s University, Twickenham
28. University College London
29. University of the Arts London
30. University of West London
31. University of Westminster

Related stories recommended by this writer:

• Here’s how the university strikes will impact you as London students

• ‘This is getting a bit out of hand’: London students on marking boycotts

• Russell Group uni is ‘considering using external staff’ for marking during staff boycott