Lecturers in the UK refuse to mark exams in labour dispute, leaving thousands unable to graduate

LONDON: Lecturers at some 140 universities have refused to mark exam papers and coursework, in an escalation of a simmering dispute over pay and working conditions. “Because of the marking boycott, they didn't have enough grades to confirm that I was able to graduate,” Hafsa Yusuf, a 21-year-old graduate student, said.

She said most of her family live in the UK but many other students are international and have paid for flights for their families to come from abroad. “It's really devastating,” she said. Yusuf and the class of 2023 had already endured severe disruptions to their college experience.

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They entered university in 2020, at the height of COVID-19 lockdowns. Then came university staff strikes, part of a huge and ongoing wave of industrial action by hundreds of thousands of UK workers to demand better pay amid a cost-of-living crisis. Now thousands of students from Cambridge to Edinburgh are unable to graduate or face indefinite delays in receiving their final marks because of the latest labour dispute, which began in April and shows no sign of resolution.

It's not clear exactly how many students are affected, but the University and College Union, which represents academics and lecturers, estimated that “easily tens of thousands” will not graduate this summer as disruptions look likely to drag on into the next academic year. Yusuf said at least 130 students from her faculty, the school of English and Drama, have been affected, with many left in limbo because they have no idea when they can get the grades they need for pending job offers and postgraduate study opportunities.

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The uncertainties have been particularly worrying for international students, who face additional complications and costs to remain in the UK. The University and College Union blames college bosses for “throwing students under the bus". It argues that universities have enough surplus income to raise staff wages by 10%, but are refusing to offer staff anything on pay increases.

The Universities and Colleges Employers Association, which represents colleges in negotiations with unions, says there will be no pay increase in 2023 to 2024 - but insisted it was ready to negotiate on other issues like workload and contract types.