Staff at the University of Stirling will strike for three days this week as they protest a pay deduction in response to the marking boycott.

Members of the UCU are taking part in a marking and assessment boycott, effective from April 20, having voted to adopt action short of a strike in a dispute over pay and conditions.

A number of universities have responded by cutting salaries, including Edinburgh, Dundee, and Queen Margaret which have already seen strikes.

UCU members at the University of Stirling will follow suit this week, with a strike on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday in response to a 50% wage cut for those taking part in the action.

Read More: Students to attend Scottish graduations without confirmation of degrees

The union said the deduction does not reflect the percentage of time staff participating in the boycott would normally spend marking and assessing students’ work.

Mary Senior, Scotland official UCU, said: "Staff choose to work in universities because they want to teach and support students.

"The very last thing staff want to do is take industrial action, but over ten years of pay being held down and worsening conditions has left us with no option. 

"The principal at Stirling, Gerry McCormac, should stop trying to circumvent lawful industrial action short of strike and join the increasing number of principals and vice-chancellors calling for new, meaningful talks to resolve the dispute."

A University of Stirling spokesperson said: “The University is disappointed that this additional strike action is taking place. Our focus is on ensuring all our graduating students and their guests can celebrate and enjoy their graduation day, and we are grateful to all those staff across the institution who have worked hard to make this happen.

“A small number of staff continue to participate in the marking and assessment boycott, as part of sector-wide industrial action. Marking and the facilitation of assessments form part of the contractual duties of teaching staff. Staff who are not fulfilling their contractual obligations will have part of their pay withheld.”

Raj Jethwa, Chief Executive of UCEA, said: "Policies on withholding pay are clear and factual, communicated to staff, and aimed at protecting students. HE institutions have a duty to protect their students and so they reject partial performance and - as UCU knows - they are legally entitled to withhold full pay for partial performance of duties such as MAB.

"HE institutions respect employees’ right to take lawful industrial action and, in turn, UCU needs to respect the employers' right to withhold pay for not fulfilling contracts. Each autonomous HE institution is of course fully focused on managing this period of potential disruption as best they can for their students. We are disappointed that UCU is encouraging its members to target students.

"UCEA has been waiting at the negotiating table, contrary to UCU’s misleading comments otherwise, and remains committed to discussing non-pay matters as soon as the marking and assessment boycott is called off. UCU must be honest with its members that, while there is no possibility of a new pay uplift in the 2023-24 pay round, there is so much more to negotiate on. This includes a review of the pay spine, workload, contract types and further action to reduce disability, ethnicity and gender pay gaps in the sector – despite these being lower than the wider economy.

“Crucially, we also want to work together with the unions on an independent review of the sector’s finances to avoid similar damaging disputes in the future. We urge UCU and the other unions to return to the table.”