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

Marking boycotts have recently hit five London unis to top off a year of strikes. Students’ patience seems to be running thin as they grasp the possibility of not graduating with this newest action.

A recent Instagram poll by The Tab found that 72 per cent of students no longer support the industrial actions after boycotts were announced. Before this, 63 per cent of students supported the striking lecturers.

Many London students have been uniquely impacted by these nationwide disruptions; some have had their boycott hit more than a month earlier than everyone else’s, while others are dealing with the possibility of having their diss marked by Australian consultancy workers.

The London Tab reached out to them for their thoughts on the current situation.

‘Will they use google translate to mark my Spanish exam?’

The UCU branch at Queen Mary, University of London (QMUL) recently claimed the uni management is “considering using external staff” for marking to offset damages during the boycott, and students have a lot to say about it.

A language undergrad at QMUL felt silly that “all their stress, tears, and sleepless nights over coursework and exams are for an institution that cares more about union-busting than their own student’s education.”

They told the London Tab: “I just wish that for once QM would consider students’ needs over their own apparent need to screw over staff.

“It’s not even like staff are asking for heaven and earth, just fairer working conditions that would improve our student experience. Paying £9k a year only for our hard work to be palmed off to some private consultants is ridiculous.

“Will they use google translate to mark my Spanish exam? Quite frankly, this is a joke, and so is my uni,” they said.

Another QMUL drama student thought the uni’s alleged decision to source external markers is not only “totally disgraceful” but “stupid.”

They asked: “Why pay extra for a third party to do the staff’s work when you already have qualified professionals on your payroll to do that work?

They went on about how they’re “horrified at the idea that someone would grade their performance as though they’re writing a blog entry.

“We do an incredible amount of work and research for our performance projects; it’s revolting to think that we’d be marked by someone who can’t appreciate that properly,” they said.

It feels like ‘students are just collateral damage that the staff seems okay with’

There seems to be a general feeling of stress and worry for students affected by marking boycotts, even if most said they understand why these actions are happening. We can only hope the current standstill between unis and staff unions resolves soon as more than 10,000 students’ education, graduation, and careers hang in the balance.

In response, a QMUL spokesperson told The London Tab: “We have been clear from the outset of this national industrial action that our first priority is to protect our students’ education and experience, and to uphold academic quality and standards. Industrial action has so far affected only a very small number of our teaching programmes; less than two per cent of our staff have so far taken strike action.

“We will continue to use, where required, a range of measures to mitigate any impacts from the continuing five-year national industrial action and to protect our students’ education. Any student concerned about the impact of this industrial action should contact their School or Institute in the first instance.”

UCU general secretary Jo Grady said: “Our members choose to work in universities because they love working with and supporting students, and no staff member is taking this action lightly. But cuts to pensions, low pay, insecure contracts and exhausting workloads have pushed staff to breaking point.

“The marking boycott is a last resort for staff who feel like they have no other choice. The fault lies solely with university bosses who are choosing to let students suffer by refusing to deal with the issues that blight higher education.

“We urge vice-chancellors to use the sector’s huge financial reserves to resolve the dispute and avoid any further disruption.”

If you are experiencing stress or need academic support, your department or the student support and wellbeing team at your uni should be able to help. If not, other resources include Anxiety UK and Mind.

Related stories recommended by this writer:

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

• Students at five London unis might not graduate as marking boycotts go ahead on Monday

• Three out of four students no longer support striking lecturers after marking boycott