Confirmed: Marking boycott and strike action to go ahead at Cardiff University this semester

Cardiff University staff will be striking and potentially taking part in an indefinite marking boycott from next month.

A Cardiff UCU spokesperson announced that the industrial action will start on 1st May, with an indefinite marking boycott beginning on 6th May, if staff demands are not met by this point.

There will also be further strike days in May and June. These are 9th June, and 23rd to 27th June.

The spokesperson said that graduations may be disrupted due to the marking boycott. They added that senior managers have been told that unless they agree to staff demands “a summer of chaos” will ensue.

This comes as 86 per cent of Cardiff UCU members voted for strike action in a recent ballot, with 83 per cent voting for action short of a strike.

The last time Cardiff University saw strikes like this was 2023.

According to the spokesperson, 160 per cent more members with marking duties have agreed to take part in an assessment boycott this time around, with hundreds of union members pledging to donate a percentage of their wages to a local solidarity fund.

Cardiff University UCU branch president Dr Joey Whitfield said: “As University staff our members routinely go above and beyond to give our students the kind of excellent education they deserve.

“We are incredibly reluctant to take part in any form of industrial action, let alone a marking and assessment boycott. But the University is leaving us no choice after imposing these cruel and unnecessary cuts. Our message to the University Executive Board is clear: there is an alternative to this summer of chaos and there is still plenty of time to avoid this kind of disruption.”

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“Our demand is quite modest and reasonable, and we want to negotiate. We could be asking for a lot more, but we aren’t. As our independent financial analysis has shown from the start, compulsory redundancies are not needed. As we’ve shown with our detailed and evidence-based set of alternative proposals for improving the University’s finances, there are ways out of this mess which protect the University and do not involve destroying hundreds of our members lives.”

A Cardiff University spokesperson said: “This is disappointing as industrial action will inevitably cause disruption for some of our students and is due to take place before the final outcome of the consultation is known.

“We will do everything we can to minimise its impact. The University will remain open and in some areas teaching, research and services will be unaffected.

“We recognise that these are extremely difficult and challenging times. However, it is important to stress that our proposals remain subject to an on-going 90-day consultation. They aim to secure the long-term future of the University and we’d urge UCU, and our other campus unions, to continue to work with us.

“Compulsory redundancies will always be the last resort and that we want to continue to work in partnership to avoid them. We would also renew our ask for UCU to provide a copy of their financial report which, so far, has not been received.”

Featured image via Cardiff UCU on X