Students face graduation uncertainty as Edinburgh University marking boycott announced
Union warns of 'further year of disruption' as Edinburgh marking boycott looms
University of Edinburgh students face graduation uncertainty after staff announced an indefinite marking and assessment boycott from May 1.
The University and College Union Edinburgh (UCUE) action is the latest escalation in a long-running dispute over £140 million in budget cuts and an estimated 1,800 job losses.
Staff took part in up to five days of strike action earlier this month over management “not engaging meaningfully” with the union, which they said breached an earlier ruling out compulsory redundancies until the end of July 2026.
UCUE accused the city’s third largest employer of “barring the union from key meetings and not sharing necessary financial information” surrounding what they described as “hidden redundancies”.
In an email to students, associate principal Lucy Evans said: “While we respect the right of staff to take part in industrial action – and recognise some of you support the Union action – we do not believe this further escalation was necessary as constructive discussions have taken place.
“A marking and assessment boycott is deliberately and overtly targeted to be disruptive to your education and we will do everything we can to protect you from disruption.”
In response to the action, Professor Sir Peter Mathieson, Principal and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Edinburgh, said: “We believe that this action is completely unjustifiable and will add unnecessary strain on our students during an already challenging and important time.”
Professor Mathieson continued: “Students will understandably have very real concerns. We will take all practical steps to keep exams and coursework submissions on track to support our students’ ability to progress and graduate.”
He added: “UCUE representatives may say that they want constructive engagement, however this decision and timing suggests otherwise.”
A previous boycott from April to September 2023 left some students unable to graduate on time due to marking delays.
The latest action short of a strike was approved following an April 1 vote, in which 94 per cent of UCUE members supported the motion and 88 per cent backed strike action, with a total turnout of 55 per cent.
UCUE President Sophia Woodman said “the ball is in management’s court” and that she is “ready and willing to seek a negotiated solution and avoid a MAB that no one wants”.
She added: “UCUE members all care deeply about students and their education. None of us has taken the decision to undertake a marking and assessment boycott (MAB) lightly.”
“Management has announced punitive 100% pay deductions on our members who decide to engage in the MAB.
“They have said that those who are not being paid will ‘not be obliged to carry out other work’. This is an effective lock-out of our members who are engaging in legitimate industrial action.
“We’ve pointed out to management that this punishment imposed on our members will harm students expecting supervision during the summer, as is the case for many masters’ students who do their dissertations during this period.”
Students will be sitting exams from April 27 to May 22 and those in their final year will only be able to graduate this summer if they receive their full results.
Ms Evans said the university has put in place “robust measures” to limit the industrial action’s impact on students.
She said: “We will make every effort to provide assessments, exam results, degree award outcomes and progression decisions by the published timelines.”