The University of Edinburgh will withhold 50% of pay from staff who don’t complete marking and assessment during an ongoing union boycott.
Edinburgh principal and vice-chancellor Professor Sir Peter Mathieson sent a letter to staff this week confirming the decision.
The letter also extended an offer to individual staff members who are taking part in the UK-wide University and College Union (UCU) marking and assessment boycott - mark work by an extended deadline and the university will return any withheld pay.
A similar offer was previously rejected by the UCU.
Prof Mathieson said that he recognised staff and universities are caught in a national dispute but asked for students to come first.
“I appeal to your compassion towards our students to accept this offer, to allow them certainty around their final award or progression in their award, and to ensure that they are free to take up future career and study options without interruption.”
Appeal to individual staff
He added that although it may appear there is “no clear way out” of the national dispute, he hopes individual staff members will accept the university’s new offer to avoid pay cuts and further delays in marking.
“If you agree to mark and assess all boycotted work, prioritising final year and single year students by 15 July and continuing students by 30 July, we will return any withheld pay and cancel all planned deductions.”
But the UCU suggested that Edinburgh’s apparent olive branch isn’t time well spent.
Read more: Glasgow: Strikes could lead to redundancies at independent school
Because the dispute is a national one, only UK-wide negotiating bodies ultimately have the power to broker a solution. The union called on the university to instead pressure the Universities and Colleges Employers' Association (UCEA) to renew talks with the UCU nationally.
Mary Senior, Scotland official for UCU, said: “The blame for this disruption lies squarely with principals who are now threatening staff with punitive pay deductions.
“Rather than trying to find ways to circumvent the marking and assessment boycott and punish staff, employers need to come back to the negotiating table with an improved and acceptable offer.”
Boycott part of ongoing industrial action
The marking and assessment boycott began on April 20 at all Scottish universities and colleges.
In response, Scottish universities have established varying policies for docking the pay of boycotting staff members.
The University of Dundee is deducting a full day’s pay, one of the strictest stances in Scotland which sent Dundee UCU members to the picket line on Wednesday.
Elsewhere, the Universities of Aberdeen, Edinburgh and St Andrews are withholding 50%. The University of Glasgow is withholding 30%.
The UCU recently announced that members who have their pay cut anywhere between 50 and 99% can submit a claim to the UCU Fighting Fund.
But pay cuts aren’t the only cause for concern. The industrial action has triggered strong reactions from students and staff alike about the impact on degrees.
Read more: Hutchesons' Grammar: Strike could lead to redundancies
One measure available to universities is to reduce the requirements for certain courses. In short, this would mean students at risk of not receiving marks might be able to progress without them.
An open letter from staff at the University of Edinburgh expressed “dismay and alarm” at the possibility of changes to degree requirements.
They said that even minor course modifications could devalue students’ degrees, leaving them at a disadvantage when applying for further study or moving on to start their careers.
Potential for long-term impact on students
Students on the verge of graduation, who might not receive full credit for their courses in time, are wondering what comes next.
Last week, the University of Aberdeen Senate voted to reduce requirements on some courses affected by the boycott. In some cases, student work will not need to go through the normal process of being marked by two examiners. In other courses, the percentage of assessments required to earn credit was reduced from 75% to 70%.
This mirrors a similar decision made during the Covid-19 lockdowns, when universities had to modify courses for remote learning.
Some students have taken to social media to vent their frustrations. They are worried that years of work might be lost if they don’t receive a proper final grade in key aspects of their courses, such as dissertations.
In a statement, the University of Aberdeen said that “almost all” students would graduate as normal but admitted that some would be impacted by the boycott more than others.
“Should there be individual instances where it is impossible for final year work to be assessed or marked, students will still be able to attend their graduation.
“They would leave the stage with a transcript of their results to date, together with a letter explaining the situation.”
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