By now you may have heard that the Imperial branch of the University and College Union (UCU) have announced that they will be commencing a marking and assessment boycott (MAB) starting on 17 May as part of their ongoing dispute with the College about the 2022-23 annual pay award. The College has released its guidance to students which can be found here.
The marking and assessment boycott means that staff participating in the boycott will not contribute to or mark any summative assessment. Summative assessment is any assessment that counts towards your degree. Examples of activities that would be included in the boycott include:
Setting exams or assessments
Invigilating exams
Marking any (summative) coursework
Moderating assessments
Providing informal guidance or feedback about your coursework, including your likely marks
Processing and/or recording marks, whether on paper, online, or other means
Attending Boards of Examiners meetings (or other related meetings)
This MAB is part of action short of strike which UCU is conducting over the College’s Annual Pay Award 2022-23. The College and the Joint Trade Unions (of which Imperial UCU is one) are currently in negotiations over the pay award for 2023-24.
Note that this is separate from the nationwide pay dispute involving UCU and UCEA, as Imperial conducts local pay bargaining.
We understand that you may need your final grades and/or transcript for your future career. The College is taking this very seriously and is considering how to mitigate this impact. This page will be updated with further information once arrangements have been agreed.
Yes. During the boycott, you should still attend and participate in all assessments as usual. If you do not, this will result in a mark of zero for that assessment.
We do not know which members of staff will be participating in the boycott. Not all staff are members of UCU, and not all UCU members may be participating in the boycott. Staff also do not need to be members of UCU to take part in the boycott. Membership of UCU varies across the College and therefore we expect different areas of College to be affected differently. Your Departmental Representatives should be liaising closely with your Department to ensure clear communication about the potential impact on students and additional changes to local arrangements.
We are working very closely with Faculties and the College to raise your concerns and ensure that they are addressed. We are providing input onto the measures the College is putting in place to ensure that students are able to progress and graduate without delay.
The College is working very closely with us, as well as Heads of Departments, to ensure that any impact on students is minimised.
The College has decided to deduct 25% of pay per day for every member of staff who participates in the boycott. Any withheld pay will be directed to the Student Support Fund in the first instance.
Staff will be required to sign a declaration stating that they will not participate in the marking and assessment boycott prior to accepting assessments for marking. Exam scripts remain the property of Imperial and therefore must be returned if a staff member starts participating in the boycott.
Please get in touch with me by emailing dpeducation@imperial.ac.uk and I will get back to you as soon as possible.
If you have a specific, individual case, then our Advice Service may be able to help. Email advice@imperial.ac.uk and they will respond as soon as possible.
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