More than 1,000 students at Queen's University Belfast have been warned that they may not be awarded their degree as planned this summer due to ongoing industrial action.
As a result of the proposed marking and assessment boycott by members of the University and Colleges Union (UCU), 1,200 students face not being awarded their degrees as planned while around 40 face not being able to graduate at all.
This comes as the UCU say staff are "angered" at a lack of progress on their ongoing pay dispute.
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In a video message sent to affected students, the university's Vice Chancellor Prof. Ian Greer said: "Some staff in a small group of Schools have indicated that they will not be participating in the marking of student work at this time.
"As a result of this action, some students across all year groups will be affected and I'll communicate with them next week.
"Today I want to focus on the approximately 1,200 final year students who will be affected this summer.
"Despite our best efforts we expect that this will result in approximately 40 students being unable to graduate.
"We will meet with this group directly."
The Vice-Chancellor said that students who are impacted following decisions by exam boards will be contacted by their head of school no later than Thursday 15th June with information on what this means for them.
In the meantime, the university have set up a helpline for students to call for support.
A spokesperson for UCU at Queen's said: "Members of the University and College Union at QUB are angered at the continued lack of progress in resolving a pay and conditions dispute that has been ongoing for five years.
"The employers’ organisation (UCEA) needs to return to negotiations as a matter of urgency. Management at QUB need to recognise that a 25% cut in staff pay in real terms, along with equity pay gaps, unsustainable workloads, and precarious & casualised contracts, is untenable.
"Our members are keen for a quick return to negotiations between UCU and UCEA, and are very concerned by the damage being done meantime by University management to students’ progression, academic standards, and the value of students’ degrees."
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