£9k for this? Northumbria marking boycott is confirmed

Plans announced for a marking boycott to go ahead from 28th April by the UCU

exams marking boycott northumbria strikes
Northumbria Uni staff have confirmed the marking boycott – threatening students’ coursework and exam results.
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The University and College Union (UCU) have revealed plans for a marking boycott to take place, which would result in lecturers refusing to mark or release any examination results, not giving feedback in a way in which a mark can be deduced and not attending any examination board meetings prior to this.
While students nationwide have expressed their feelings about being unhappy and distressed about the situation, the UCU general secretary Sally Hunt has described the boycott as being “the ultimate sanction, but an avoidable one if the employers would negotiate with us over pay”.
These actions and negotiations by the Union arose due to a 13% fall in pay in real time since 2009, while university vice-chancellors have enjoyed an average pay rise of 5.1% last year.
This is not the first time such controversy has occurred at Northumbria; in 2012 Northumbria’s vice-chancellor Andrew Wathey had taken a pay  rise of £24,000 (12%), increasing his salary to £230,000- almost £100,000 more than the Prime Minister gets paid, while lecturers at Northumbria have only been offered a 1% pay rise for next year.
If such plans were to go ahead, again we students would feel the burden of this situation that is occurring between the university employers and employees.
Unfortunately for any 3rd year students whose tutors are part of the UCU, the boycott could result in a later graduation, due to this delay in marking and so leaving them at a disadvantage of getting graduate jobs or going on to study at postgraduate in favour of those whose tutors are not part of the Union.
Though trying not to over stress the situation just yet, there are plans for a further 2 sessions of negotiations at Northumbria between the university employers and the Union before the action is due to go ahead, so hopefully this situation may be resolved sooner rather than later.
A UCU statement has called for students to stand with their tutors as they go on strike by signing a petition and emailing the Vice-Chancellor, as lecturers risk their entire yearly salary in the boycott by not abiding to university regulations.