UCU Marking and Assessment Boycott: Info for students at Loughborough University

What is happening?

We are members of the University and College Union (UCU). We are your seminar tutors, professional services staff, and lecturers. We teach you, we support and guide you, and we do the research you rely on.

Along with thousands of other UCU members across all UK universities, we are taking part in a ‘Marking and Assessment Boycott’.

A Marking and Assessment Boycott is when university workers stop doing all work relating to students’ summative assessments.

We will carry on doing all other aspects of our jobs, including teaching and supporting your learning and development. You can still contact us as usual if you have any problems or questions about your studies or personal welfare. We will be here for you.

This Marking and Assessment Boycott started on 20th April 2023 and it will continue until university bosses make us a fair offer.

Why is it happening?

We are asking university bosses for the following:

Give us secure employment with a stable income, so we can plan our lives – not precarious, temporary or hourly-paid jobs.
Get rid of pay gaps for gender, race and disability.
Pay us enough so we can all afford the rising cost of living.
Reduce our workload to a survivable level.

We already took strike action this year and in previous years.

Our employers still haven’t made us a fair offer.

The Marking and Assessment Boycott is our absolute last resort. We have stopped marking assessments so university bosses will listen to us.

We want to find a resolution to this dispute and get back to normal as soon as possible. But it is now in the hands of our employers.

How will it affect students?

During the Marking and Assessment Boycott:

Some of your summative assessment results this academic year may be affected. You might not get your marks until after the marking boycott ends.
If you are in the final year of your degree, as an undergraduate or postgraduate student, this may mean your graduation is delayed.
There might be delays to official decisions about whether you can progress to the next year of your course.

Once university bosses make a fair offer to us, we will resume our marking and assessment activities so that students can receive marks and be able to progress and/or graduate.

Why should students support this?

Our working conditions are students’ learning conditions.

We are trying to protect our whole university community – including you – from year after year of harmful reforms that have damaged our morale and made it almost impossible to do our jobs properly.

We care deeply about students. We want you to be able to learn and thrive. This is why we come to work every day!

We are really worried that if we do nothing now, university staff will face impossible workloads and a poorer and poorer quality of life. Students’ experience will only get worse, even though you (and your younger siblings) will still have to pay extortionate fees and get into debt.

We are worried that women, ethnic minorities, disabled people, and working-class people who work here will face even more disadvantages.

The Marking and Assessment Boycott is now the only way we can achieve a fairer and more equal university, for the benefit of students and staff alike.

More info: https://www.ucu.org.uk/media/13501/ucuRISING-student-explainer-leaflet/pdf/ucuRISING_Strike_student_leaflet_Mar23.pdf

How can students help end the boycott?

Email our Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Nick Jennings: vc@lboro.ac.uk. Say you support the current UCU Marking and Assessment Boycott. Ask him to please take steps to address UCU’s demands around casualisation, pay equality, pay, and workload.
Tell your tutors and lecturers, via email or in person, that you will support them if they take part in the marking and assessment boycott.
Sign this pledge: https://www.ucu.org.uk/supportthestrikes
Post on twitter to say you support the Marking and Assessment Boycott, using the hashtag #ucuRISING and tagging @LboroUCU

More info: https://www.ucu.org.uk/MAB2023

Thank you for reading.

24th March 202324th March 2023

Tripartite statement regarding industrial disputes

24 March 2023

Loughborough University, Loughborough UCU and Loughborough Students’ Union have been meeting regularly during the current industrial disputes to explore what is at issue and to consider how progress might be made.

While our perspectives are diverse, the collaborative way of working that we have developed has enabled us to address effectively and constructively those issues which have a local dimension. We have also discussed what is at stake nationally.

Our position on the several strands of the disputes is summarised here:

Pensions. We believe that an evidence-based valuation of the Universities Superannuation Scheme (USS) should be completed as soon as possible. This assessment of the scheme’s assets and liabilities, and its future performance, should be ‘moderately prudent’. Any positive adjustments resulting from this new valuation should prioritise the improvement of members’ benefits over reductions to employer /employee contribution rates from their current levels. We welcome the recent developments in relation to this.
Pay. We acknowledge that this is the most challenging of the current issues. The regulated undergraduate student fee that is universities’ most significant income stream has barely changed in a decade – and it remains frozen during this period of high inflation when institutions’ costs, such as energy, have increased sharply. The income of university staff has lagged similarly in this time, with a series of below-inflation pay awards – and current high prices are undoubtedly having a significant impact on staff, too. While the 2023 pay award has been implemented, we remain mindful of staff’s situation. We also join other voices in encouraging a longer-term review of the university funding model (a review that should be creative and not focus only on raising students’ fees).
Working conditions (pay inequality, casualisation, workload). We recognise that addressing these questions is crucial to the well-being and sustainability of the sector. Universities must offer a fair, decent and healthy working environment to all. At Loughborough, while further work remains to be done, good progress is being made on these fronts – and we encourage employers and unions at all HE institutions to tackle pay gaps, casualised contracts and high workloads in a similar spirit of partnership.

We do not underestimate the complexities of these multiple issues and the challenges involved in finding fair outcomes. However, it is crucial that lasting resolutions are achieved, so as to prevent further disruption to the lives of both staff and students.

We strongly encourage all those involved in the disputes to continue working toward our shared goal: student and staff satisfaction in a Higher Education sector fit for everyone.

Loughborough University
Loughborough UCU
Loughborough Students’ Union

15th March 2023

Urgent Survey on UCU Rising Disputes

We have just received word from National UCU that they will be sending all members a survey this afternoon to ask for views on the proposals to settle the disputes with UCEA and UUK. We are told that the survey will close in approximately 48 hours, on Friday 17^th March. We recommend completing the survey before Friday as no end time was stated.

For more information on the proposals please see here: www.ucu.org.uk/12834

If you have not received your ballot within the next hour, first search ‘yoursay’ in your inbox and junk and if you still cannot find the email, please contact UCU here.

LUCU Committee

20th December 2022

LUCU & UCU emails not reaching all members

It has come to our attention that since moving to the new mailing list system our branch emails may be going into people’s Junk folders. To ensure our branch and national emails go to your inbox, please follow these steps in Outlook. If you don’t use Outlook you can change your settings in Outlook on the Web.

One email you may have missed contained a link to this Jo Grady video, please watch it if you haven’t already.

Instructions for Outlook

On the Home tab, click on the Junk drop-down menu, and select Junk E-mail Options

Click on the Safe Senders tab

Click the Add button

Enter @mailbox.lboro.ac.uk

Click the OK button

Click the Add button again

Enter @ucu.org.uk

Click the OK button

Click the next OK button

Outlook on the Web

Click on the cog icon to open Settings

Enter the word Junk into the Search box

Click on Safe senders and domains

Click on + Add

Enter ucu.org.uk and press the Return key

Enter mailbox.lboro.ac.uk and press the Return key

Click on the Save button to save the changes

Click on the X to close the Settings window

LUCU Committee

10th May 202210th May 2022

Joint Statement from Loughborough UCU & Loughborough University – 9 May 2022

Loughborough UCU and Loughborough University have continued to work together during the industrial action, to make positive progress on issues locally wherever possible. Today we have agreed the following statement on USS Pensions:

There should be an evidence-based, moderately prudent valuation as soon as possible. Any positive changes resulting from the next valuation of the scheme’s assets and liabilities should be used to improve member benefits and not to reduce employer or employee contribution rates from current levels.

Employers should continue to provide enhanced covenant support through the future valuation process and recognise that this should apply to any benefit proposals agreed through the JNC by either UUK or UCU.

The retention of a defined benefit element of the pension scheme that is affordable for employers and members, sustainable and at a contribution rate that will not discourage employees from participating in the USS pension scheme, is a necessary requirement to settle this series of disputes.

There is an urgent need for the national parties involved in the USS pension negotiations to work toward building and restoring trust. This should be a significant priority.

LUCU Committee

25th March 202225th March 2022

Check with HMRC if your UCU membership is listed in your tax code

On UCU strike? Facing another week of lost pay? Do one quick thing today to help – check with HMRC to get your UCU membership listed in your tax code under ‘professional subscriptions’.

You can claim back to 2017/18 at the moment, but be quick as that will roll over to 2018/19 onwards soon as tax year ends this month. You’ll need the annual amounts you’ve paid to UCU to hand (a quick check of online banking/UCU direct debit) for each year, including this one. The same applies for most professional memberships related to your job.

You can also check that it’s on your tax code for the new tax year about to start 22/23 (letters sent recently).

Online can take up to 15 days, so given we are close to end of tax year, we suggest you call 0300 200 3300 with just your NI number and your UCU annual debited amount for the past few years. If you do wish to complete online please click here.

You can also find guidance on this from national UCU here.

LUCU Committee

4th February 2022

UCU Trustee, Officer & NEC Elections 2021-22

The ballots to elect trustees, vice president (becoming president in 2024-25) and national executive committee members opened on 27 January 2022. The NEC, chaired by the president, is one of the union’s most important elected decision-making bodies, and it is very important that members exercise their right to decide who holds these positions. We strongly encourage you to take part in the ballots.

Ballot information

If any member has not received the ballot material to which they are entitled by Monday 7 February, they should contact the union to request a duplicate ballot paper using the online form which will be made available on this web page on 7 February. The last day on which duplicate ballot material enquiries will be dealt with is Tuesday 22 February 2022. The ballots close at noon on Tuesday 1 March 2022.

Hustings

A live on-line hustings event for the position of UCU Vice president (becoming president in 2024-25) will be taking place at 12:30 – 13:30 on Tuesday 8 February. You can register for the hustings event here.

Election Addresses

Candidates election addresses can be seen by clicking on the name of the candidate towards the bottom of this web page.

17th December 202117th December 2021

Winter Break & LUCU Office Closure

The LUCU office will be closed from 5pm today, Friday 17^th December, and will re-open (and respond to enquiries) on Wednesday 5^th January.

We all hope you have a great winter break.

In the meantime, should you need it, the Education Support Partnership is a free service for our members, remaining active 24/7 throughout the winter break. They provide counselling, support, financial assistance and more.

Phone: 08000 562 561

Text: 07909 341229

Email: support@edsupport.org.uk

Website: https://www.educationsupport.org.uk/helping-you/

LUCU Committee

26th November 2021

LUCU Memo to Students

We suggest that colleagues send a message to students in advance of the industrial action to maintain the best possible relations at what can be a stressful time for everyone involved. The branch has created the following message to make this easier: please amend as you see fit for your student groups.

Begins
Subject: UCU Industrial Action – Beginning December 1, 2021

Dear <usual form of address>,

Many of you will know by now that the University and College Union (UCU), the trade union representing academic and academic related staff, has announced a first wave of industrial action over cuts to staff pensions, excessive workloads, job insecurity, and pay levels that have not kept up with inflation. This will impact universities across the sector including Loughborough.

I regret that, unless the strike is cancelled (which, up to the last minute, is not impossible), strike action is likely to impact on your modules that are scheduled to occur between 1^st and 3rd December. This means that teaching will be cancelled, and tutors will not be holding tutorials/office hours, nor answering emails.

I will confirm nearer the time whether the module will be affected by industrial action. If you would like to know more about why your lecturers are taking this action, you can access further information via our local Loughborough UCU YouTube channel.

Kind regards
<your name>
Ends

Template Memo to Students

12th March 202112th March 2021

IWD 2021 – Lean In Circles Workshop

Are you sitting comfortably?

Over the last 100 years a repeated theme has been the lack of sanitary facilities for women being used as a reason to reject them when applying for jobs.

‘Respectable’ women couldn’t relieve themselves in streets or alleys as men did – London’s first public toilets were built for the 1851 Great Exhibition
Lack of access to toilets effectively tied women to their homes, putting them on a ‘leash as long as their bladder capacity’

This silent discrimination continues in many countries around the world. In 2012, female demonstrators in India marked International Women’s Day by storming men’s public toilets in the city of Nagpur, protesting inadequate numbers of bathrooms for women

In 2021, the UK Government has been running a Toilet Consultation to consider ‘the ratio of female toilets needed versus the number for men, given the need for women to always use cubicles’ … and to ‘take into account the needs of all members of the community, to ensure there is a fair provision of accessible and gender-neutral toilets’.

They acknowledge that even in 2021, women often face excessive queues for toilets or do not have access to appropriate facilities. In some cases, this can mean women are reluctant to go out or take trips – so no progress from the 19^th century.

Lean In Circles Workshop

Thursday 18^th March 1pm-2pm

In this workshop you will have the opportunity to:

Connect with other women through small group discussions to share your struggles, give and get advice and celebrate each other’s wins.
Discuss and select a #ChooseToChallenge action card making a pledge for action to support and empower other female employees all year round.

Link to join the workshop via Microsoft Teams: Click here to join the meeting

We very much look forward to seeing you there.

LUCU Committee