Marking boycott postponed after uni chiefs make last minute pay offer

The proposed marking boycott has been delayed until the 6th of May after a pay rise offer from uni chiefs.

After the latest round of talks, the Universities and Colleges’ Employers Association (UCEA) has offered a 2% pay increase to the lowest paid staff.

Uni paymasters had previously offered a 1% rise – which was rejected – meaning the increase is only worth an extra £300 to lecturers paid £30,000 a year.

The University and College Union (UCU) is considering the offer and has agreed to ballot its members.

The ballot will end on 1st May, and the committee will consider the results at a meeting on 2nd May.

The boycott, which was originally scheduled to start on April 28th, is planned as part of the ongoing pay dispute following last year’s pay offer of 1%.

UCU general secretary, Sally Hunt, said: “Following this offer, UCU has decided to ballot members on their views. It is only right that they make the ultimate decision about what happens next.”

There have been three days of strikes since October.

This is good news for students as a marking boycott would have damaging effect on coursework, final exams and dissertations – and would particularly affect students looking to graduate this year.

Previously, universities threatened to dock 100% of staff pay if they chose to strike, which Sally Hunt slammed as “bullying”.

She said: “Universities that deduct 100% of pay from staff participating in our marking boycott will be showing a clear disregard for their students.

“This threat is little more than an attempt to bully staff from taking part in industrial action as part of a legitimate grievance against efforts to drive down their pay.

“Nobody wants to see a marking boycott, but we are encouraged that the National Union of Students passed a motion in support of our action at their national conference last week.”

This is a move in the right direction after last week when it was reported that four fifths of universities refused to disclose details on senior management’s pay.

Staff are urging students to support the strikes

Just 27 (from a total of 139 universities) provided the minutes of their pay committees, which decide the pay of vice-chancellors.

Of the 27, 14 sent redacted minutes and only Glasgow and Stirling included details on pay rises.

Staff pay has fallen 13% in real terms since 2009 whilst over half of university Vice-Chancellors last year received between 5-10% in pay rises.

At the other end of the scale Sir Ian Diamond, Vice-Chancellor at Aberdeen University, took a 24% pay rise last year.