More than 1,000 final year students at Durham University could be left without a degree this summer because of the marking boycott disrupting universities across the UK.
Durham, one of 145 universities affected by the industrial action over pay and working conditions called by the University and College Union (UCU), said about 20% of its 5,300 final year students would “at the moment, face delays in receiving all their marks and final classifications”.
The university has asked lecturers taking part in the boycott if they will submit outstanding final marks by 14 July. But a spokesperson for the university said that currently about 80% of final-year students would receive a classified degree or an interim award by 7 July.
“The university is working round the clock to ensure all undergraduate students, once all marks are in and assessed, receive their degree,” the spokesperson said.
“Durham undergraduate degrees are heavily weighted towards final examinations and projects, so we are particularly affected by the timing of the boycott. The impact of the boycott has been significant in some departments.”
Earlier this month the acting vice-chancellor of the University of Cambridge said the “severe impact” of the boycott meant half of the university’s 4,500 final year students would not be able to graduate unless the marking backlog was cleared, as well as 90% of postgraduate students on taught courses.
While some universities have been unaffected, others have been hit by entire departments being unable to graduate students. Many universities have given provisional awards or interim marks, or in some cases hired replacement markers.
According to figures compiled by UCU, only 31% of Durham final year students will graduate as normal, while around half will receive an interim award.
In an email to staff on Tuesday, Karen O’Brien, Durham’s vice-chancellor, offered those taking part in the strike action an amnesty if they submitted final marks by 14 July. O’Brien said the university would reinstate the 50% of wages withheld since June from those taking part in the boycott.
Durham said all students were invited to attend “congregation ceremonies to mark the completion of their degree”.
The boycott is the latest episode in the dispute between UCU and universities represented by the University and College Employers Association (UCEA), with the union pushing for the 2023-24 pay award to be renegotiated because of the rising cost of living and high inflation.
UCU and UCEA held arbitration talks earlier this year but a tentative deal was rejected by UCU branches. Several university leaders have held talks with local UCU branches in an effort to end the deadlock but to date there has been little progress.
Raj Jethwa, the UCEA’s chief executive, said: “UCU must be honest with its members that, while there is no possibility of a new pay uplift in the 2023-24 pay round, there is so much more to negotiate on. This includes a review of the pay spine, workload, contract types and further action to reduce disability, ethnicity and gender pay gaps in the sector – despite these being lower than the wider economy.
“Crucially, we also want to work together with the unions on an independent review of the sector’s finances to avoid similar damaging disputes in the future. We urge UCU to return to the [negotiating] table.”
• This article was amended on 28 June 2023 to clarify that Durham University’s offer to reinstate some of the pay withheld from striking staff if they submitted outstanding final marks by 14 July was made in an internal email from Karen O’Brien.
