Local News

Important information on when to declare participation in the Marking and Assessment Boycott

Katrina Navickas

Our dispute over pay and conditions stands at a critical point. We’ve embarked on a marking and assessment boycott while some of the more aggressive employers have threatened to deduct a punitive 100% of pay from those who participate in it.

This is outrageous because marking is a mere fraction of the work we do. To add to the injustice, the threatened deduction comes on top of the 25% real terms pay cut (and rising) we have suffered since 2009.

This is clearly intimidation to stop us exercising our lawful and democratic right to take action in support of a just pay claim. It’s vital we stand up to what TUC General Secretary Paul Nowak has called “bully boy tactics”. It’s vital we make this boycott a success.

We have subsequently achieved a major agreement with UH management that they will not deduct 100%, but we still need to push forward with the industrial action to make our demands a success.

 

Declaring your participation

UHUCU’s Executive Committee discussed when members should declare their participation in the marking and assessment boycott. Our advice is as follows:

  • You are advised not to declare your participation in the boycott before the marking and assessment activity is assigned to you nor during the subsequent marking and assessment period.
  • So, if you are asked to declare your participation before scripts for marking are made available to you, you are advised not to answer.
  • And if you are asked to declare your participation before the submission deadline for the marking, you are likewise advised not to answer.
  • You may be asked these questions repeatedly. We advise you to stay strong and not answer.
  • However, if you are asked to declare your participation after the submission deadline for the marking has passed, you are advised to answer truthfully.

 

Local fighting fund

The Executive Committee has also decided to establish a local fighting fund on top of the national fighting fund that already exists to provide as much financial assistance as possible to members.

We are very conscious of the fact that the boycott’s impact will fall unevenly on members. There are members who have substantial marking and assessment duties this semester. Equally, there are members who do not but who may be able to assist financially or help raise solidarity funds.

We are holding an all members’ meeting to ratify the fund  on Tuesday, 9th May at 11am via Zoom. Link in email.

It is important that we achieve quoracy at this meeting, so please attend.

 

Don’t hesitate to contact us