You may have heard about a possible marking boycott taking place at UK universities. Here's what you need to know about the situation here at Middlesex. 
 

The national dispute over pay between UCU, which represents university lecturers, and the body representing university employers, applies to our University as much as anywhere else. In order to underline the value of lecturers' work, UCU had proposed that its members boycott the marking of students' exams, coursework and other assessments from 28 April.
 

The UCU announced on the 16th April that due to an increased offer from the UCEA (Universities and Colleges' Employers Association), this deadline has been extended to 6th May, while the UCU hold a ballot of it's members to ask if they will accept this new offer. The proposed marking boycott has therefore been suspended until this date.
 

This means that if the UCU members vote to accept the new offer, a resolution may be reached before the 6th May, which would mean that the boycott will be called off and work will be marked as normal. If the negotiations are not productive and the boycott goes ahead, MDXSU will support you with any academic disruption you may encounter. 

As your Union, we will be working to ensure that the upcoming action does not create a divide between staff and students. Equally, we are committed to defending both the lecturers and staff’s right to strike, and proud to state our support for this democratically mandated action. We hope that it will encourage a speedy resolution to the ongoing pay dispute in a way that provides a fair and sustainable settlement for higher education staff.

How will this affect you?

The decision to strike is not made lightly, and we encourage you to support your lecturers in this action. If your work goes unmarked for a period, please be patient and bear in mind that a successful boycott will benefit those staff hardest hit by low wages and rising costs in living standards, such as university cleaners, caterers, and administrators. If you decide to join the strike in solidarity, we will work with the University to ensure that unfair punishment does not follow on.

What is MDXSU’s position?

Whilst the Students’ Union has no formal policy relating to this boycott, we have a democratic mandate to support the right of staff to take industrial action. Having said that, this is a national pay dispute and in order to minimise the impact of a marking boycott on Middlesex students, we call on those involved at that national level to find a resolution.

Our 5-point stance on all industrial action

1. MDXSU believes that lecturers and other staff in our universities and colleges should be properly supported and paid. We believe that fair pay is an issue of fairness in itself, but also note that there are very clear benefits to students that pay is at a level which attracts excellent staff, and supports the maintenance of a happy and motivated workforce.

2. MDXSU believes the introduction of market forces into higher education are forcing universities to make rash economic decisions. Instead of investing in quality education, universities are engaging in beauty contests rather than investing in quality education. Rather than allowing students and staff to be pitted against each other, we believe students and staff should find common ground and wherever possible, work together to defend education.

3. MDXSU support the rights of all staff to challenge unfair practices, including challenging pay and conditions which they democratically deem to be unfair.

4. MDXSU does not advocate industrial action which unnecessarily and seriously impacts on students. Whilst we support striking as a legitimate means of raising concerns, those that seriously disrupt academic life (i.e. the marking and assessment of work) are counterproductive to the students we represent.

5. MDXSU states a preference for forms of industrial action which limit negative impacts on students, and encourage active support from students over issues of common concern.