ucu industrial action information

UCU Industrial Action Information

This page is here to provide you with information on UCU Industrial Action.

This includes updates on the current dispute, some answers to FAQs and the work your Guild and Officers are doing to support you and ensure your academic experience is the best it can be.
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With exam results being released soon, we know this can be a really anxious time whilst you wait to hear what your results and degree classification will be. Adding to this worry is the current Marking and Assessment boycott. With the level of disruption to teaching and marking this year, it has been designated an exceptional year (in the same way 2019/20 and 2020/21 were exceptional years due to the Covid-19 pandemic). This means there have been changes to existing policies.

How are marks awarded, and what is an APAC?

Each programme has an APAC: the Assessment, Progression and Awarding Committee. APACs are here to make sure the marking process is fair and appropriate. They also ensure the University’s awarding and progression rules have been correctly applied.

Read more about how marks for whole groups and individuals can be adjusted at the APAC here.

What your Officers are doing to represent you:

Jack, VP Education has been attending regular Industrial Action meetings and sharing student concerns
Pushing for more certainty on support options for students

Advocating for withheld staffing funds be spent directly on supporting students
Asking for refunds where appropriate and in line with students wishes

Your Officers continue to lobby the University to ensure your experience and academic outcomes are protected.

During this time, the University are committed to making sure:

Your marks are fair and accurate

The impact on your progression to employment or further study is minimised
You are supported to get the results you deserve
The value of your Exeter degree is maintained

The University will be in direct contact with any students whose marks are delayed by the marking and assessment boycott and will discuss the options available, but only after results have been released (28 June onwards).

Frequently asked questions

What do I do if I have not received all my marks?

If you have missing marks due to the Marking and Assessment Boycott, there will be a delay in getting your final marks to you. If you are a finalist, you will receive an interim transcript based on your marks achieved until that point.

Where there are delays as a result of the marking and assessment boycott, the University will be working hard to get them to you as soon as possible.

Will graduation ceremonies still be going ahead, and can I attend if I have missing marks?

Yes, the Summer 2023 graduation ceremonies are going ahead on the dates currently planned.  

If you have missing marks as a result of the Marking and Assessment Boycott, you will still be able to attend and enjoy the ceremony as usual. All students will receive confirmation of their final award or degree certificate once all of their marks have been received. 

How can you help me progress to my arranged employment if I don’t have my final degree classification?

If you are a finalist with missing marks because of the marking and assessment boycott, you will be provided with an interim transcript based on the marks achieved until that point. The University will work with any affected students who request it, to provide information which can be shared with future employers or higher education institutions, to explain the reason for any missing marks. Unfortunately, there is no guarantee that employers will accept this mitigation from Exeter. However, as this is a national marking and assessment boycott many other graduating students will be in the same situation.

You will receive your full transcript with a degree classification once all marks have been received. At present we can’t tell you the exact date this will be.

As a PGR student, how will my Upgrade or final assessment viva be affected by the marketing and assessment boycott?

If an academic member of staff is taking part in a marking and assessment boycott, some upgrades and final assessment vivas may be delayed.

You should submit your thesis, amendments or Upgrade documentation as planned and by your submission deadline.

Should your final assessment viva be delayed and need to be rescheduled, we will work with you and your Exam Board to rearrange it for the earliest mutually convenient date.

If you have further specific questions, take a look at this University page for more information, and we encourage you contact the University by emailing industrialaction@exeter.ac.uk

We recognise this is a really worrying time, especially for those of you who will be graduating in July and moving onto employment or further study. If you’d like to talk to someone about any particular concerns, we’re here to help. Contact our Advice team and our Voice team on voice@exeterguild.com

Message from The Guild

We recognise that this strike action is set to have an impact on a number of Exeter students, and we are fully committed to representing you and advocating for you during this time. This will include representing student concerns or complaints to the University and working with them on mitigating the implications and effects on your educational experience.

Your elected Officers are in meetings with the University strongly advocating for mitigations, to get the best outcomes for you. Officers may also have individual stances on the industrial action. We will continue to work with the University to ensure that mitigations are in place and lost teaching is made up. These discussions (including any around compensation) take a long time and can be complex and nuanced, so we don’t want to overpromise but still urge students to record how they have been impacted to support this request and to enable us to engage as fully as possible in the potential mitigations.

We know there might be some challenging conversations to come, but we will always seek to prioritise the rights and wellbeing of you, our students. As your Students’ Guild we are student-led, here to support and empower you.

We also acknowledge the seriousness of the current situation for staff and understand the aims of the strike in fighting for fair pay, pensions and working conditions. Students’ university experience wouldn’t be what it is without the quality of the lecturers and staff that we have. As with previous strikes, we have had conversations with our local UCU branch to outline our approach to support students and discussing with them the impact of the strikes and the causes.

If you would like to share your view on the industrial action and strikes, you can complete our poll or email us. This will help us gauge your opinions on the industrial action, so we can feed this back to the University and inform the support that is available.

We encourage both the University senior management and UCU to hold constructive meetings with the aim of reaching a resolution which will alleviate the impacts on students. You can see the University’s joint statement with UCU here.

Compensation Scheme

The University’s Industrial Action Compensation scheme 2022-23 is now open. This scheme provides a “gesture of good will” for students who have been impacted by the industrial action, through disruption from strikes and/or the Marking and Assessment boycott.

What you need to know:

The scheme is not a refund of fees.
The application form will ask for details of your particular individual circumstances that you feel have been impacted by the industrial action.
You can only apply if your module(s) has been impacted by the strike action and/or MAB during the 2022/23 year.
Available for taught students only – if you’re a PGR student and you’ve been impacted, you should contact the Doctoral College with your case.
The University will aim to respond to your application within 1 month.
You will be notified if your application has been successful, and the level of compensation offered. If you accept this sum, arrangements will be made to pay this to your bank account.
It’s best to apply on a computer/laptop rather than your mobile – the platform does not work on IOS mobile devices.

Find out more about the scheme and apply.

The University of Exeter Students’ Guild and the University of Exeter have agreed the principles below. We stand together in our commitment to ensure that the impact of industrial action on current students is minimised.

Your elected Officers are meeting regularly with staff at the most senior level of the University to support the careful management of the potential impact this further period of industrial action may have on you and your studies, and to ensure the measures we put in place are the right ones to support you.

The Students’ Guild and University have confirmed the following principles for the current and upcoming periods of industrial action in February and March 2023.

Our commitments to you:

We will work to replace lost learning opportunities wherever possible
We will adjust and adapt exams and assessments to ensure they are fair
Where your module or assessment has been impacted, we will ensure that your final marks are fair
Funding that would have paid lecturers salaries, but which has been withheld due to strike action, will be reinvested to benefit students. The Students’ Guild and Students’ Union will play a role in allocating this funding and the details of this will be provided to students.

We are committed to doing all we can to ensure your experience and academic outcomes are protected during this time. If any student remains dissatisfied, we encourage you to contact the University on voice@exeterguild.com.

We will be offering support to all students through our student reps, our Student Advice Team and through your full-time officers. This will include continuing to organise student drop-ins throughout and beyond any strike period for students to raise concerns or questions regarding the impact of strikes or any mitigations.

We will be using our website and social media channels to provide further guidance, support and news of any further developments in relation to the strike.

Drop-in sessions:
During the strikes the Officers will be operating an 'Open Door Policy' at their office in DH1 for any students with questions or concerns. There may be times when the Officers are away (either attending meetings, or conferences).

Guild Cafes - your Officers will also be holding some sessions with free refreshments where you can come and have a chat about any issues or concerns. Dates for these sessions are coming soon!

ucu industrial action information

UCU Industrial Action Information

Message from The Guild

Compensation Scheme

Students’ Guild and University of Exeter joint principles

How will the Guild support students during the strikes?

More Information

News articles about UCU Strikes and Industrial action

Information from the UCU

Information from Universities UK (UUK)

Information from University and College Employers Association (UCEA)

Information from the University of Exeter

more info

FAQs

Message from the Guild

Guild Support For Students

Jargon Buster

More Info

	October 2022 Ballot	April 2023 Ballot
Pay and Conditions	81.1% (turnout 57.8%)	85.6% (turnout 56.4%)
Pensions	84.9% (turnout 60.2%)	89% (turnout 58.4%)