Edinburgh University announces marking and assessment boycott

Further industrial action will be taking place at Edinburgh University in the form of a marking and assessment boycott.

The Edinburgh branch of the University and College Union (UCUE) has called on its members to take continuous action short of a strike from the 1st of May.

The marking and assessment boycott follows five days of previous industrial action undertaken by UCUE members which began on March 30th.

The incoming industrial action comes after the UCUE announced a dispute against the university’s proposal of £140 million in budget cuts and up to 1,800 job losses.

A ballot was passed on the 1st of April which showed 88 per cent of the 55 per cent of members who voted were in favour of taking further strike action.

94 per cent of UCUE members who voted backed action short of a strike. This includes marking and assessement boycotts, working to contract and not covering for absent colleagues.

The ballot results came after a dispute over university management refusing to rule out compulsory redundancies.

The email sent out to students on the upcoming marking and assessement boycott urged students to: “continue to submit any assessements as planned, adhere to all course deadlines and attend and complete exams as planned.

The university also said they have: “robust measures in place to reduce impact on students and to mitigate the risk that you are disadvantaged in your assessment or exam outcomes as a direct result of industrial action.

“We will make every effort to provide assessment, exam results, degree award outsomes and progression decisions to you by the published timelines.”

A previous marking and assessment boycott in June 2023 meant some students graduated with unclassified degrees and attended their graduations with no formal degree certificate at all.

Emily, a fourth-year Classics student told The Tab her concerns over the upcoming marking boycott: “I understand why staff feel like they need to strike given the ongoing disputes with the university.

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“However, a marking boycott right at the end of my time at university is worrying for many of my friends and I.

“The prospect of graduating without a degree certificate if the marking boycott affects my upcoming assessements is really worrying.

“It could impact my chances of getting onto a Master’s programme or applying for jobs as many of them require specific grades before you apply or are accepted onto the programme.”

Professor, Sir Peter Mathieson, Principal and Vice Chancellor of the university said: “We are profoundly disappointed, disheartened and frustrated that UCU Edinburgh members have again voted in favour of purposefully targeting our students with a marking and assessment boycott.

“We believe this action is completely unjustifiable and will add unnecessary strain on our students during an already challenging and important time.

“Students will understandable have very real concerns about the disruption this boycott will cause, given that for some this may impact receiving awards or outcomes on progression.

“We will take all practical steps to keep exams and coursework submissions on track to support our students’ ability to progress and graduate.”

The Vice Chancellor added: “UCUE representatives may say that they want constructive engagement, however this decision and timing suggests otherwise.

“The university will continue to offer consultation with union representatives and continue to uphole our commitments under the agreement reached in December 2025, as we believe this is in th ebest interests of our staff.”

The UCUE President, Sophia Woodman, previously made a statement regarding the outcome of the most recent members ballot. She said: “Over a year since the announcement of cuts and job losses, and with staff having taken over 10 days of industrial action, this result shows how resolute members are about saving jobs and opposing management’s brutal cuts.

“The action taken so far has saved jobs, and this result and possibilty of a further year of disruption should be a wake-up call to the principal to engage meaningfully and find a resolution to this dispute.”