Marking and assessment boycott ended and planned strike action 25-29 September

Dear colleagues,

I am writing to update you on the marking and assessment boycott which ended yesterday, and on planned national strike action called by UCU for 25-29 September.

Marking and assessment boycott ended and further information on the process to review individual cases

UCU advised their members yesterday (Wednesday 6 September) that they are no longer calling on them to participate in the marking and assessment boycott which has been in place since April. Thank you to all who have worked tirelessly to support students to ensure that as many as possible have been able to graduate and progress on time.

As previously stated, we have a review process for staff to submit further details of their participation in the boycott as we recognise that for most staff this will not have been continuous since the action was called. This will be used to determine the amount of pay to be withheld starting in November 2023’s salaries. We will also provide further details about the expectations for submitting any outstanding marking. We will be in contact directly with staff who participated in the boycott with more details soon.

Planned strike action at UCL 25-29 September

UCU has notified us that 5 days of national strike action, which is when staff refuse to work on a particular day, are planned to take place on Monday 25 September, Tuesday 26 September, Wednesday 27 September, Thursday 28 September, and Friday 29 September 2023.

We will send more information about this soon to explain what systems are in place for those staff who take part in strike action, including the need to declare your participation using an online reporting system, what to expect for those who are not and what UCL is doing to address some of the key issues. Further FAQs on industrial action can be found on the HR website which we will be keeping updated.

We will also communicate directly to current and new, incoming students on what they can expect and how we can support them.

Best wishes,

Donna Dalrymple, Chief People Officer