Friday April 24th 2026
Photo by Nguyen Dng Hoang Nhu (Unsplash)
Written by Midlothian View Reporter, Liam Eunson
Members of the University and College Union at Edinburgh University (UCUE) have announced a marking and assessment boycott as part of the long-running dispute with institute management over £140 million in cuts.
The announced industrial action has created a concern amongst students who fear that their degrees could be affected similar to what was seen in 2023 when students graduated without a degree certificate.
Beginning on 1 May, the union announced that they will boycott assessment marking ‘lightly’, creating the risk that students could be left without final year certificates or degree end results.
In a statement shared by UCU Edinburgh President Sophia Woodman she explained that ‘UCUE members all care deeply about students’ but their union branch is ‘acting to prevent the harm that further staff cuts could inflict’.
This boycott follows strike action taken in March. This follows the industrial action which began in June after University bosses announced in March 2025 that they will be making £140 million in cuts alongside cutting 1,800 jobs due to a potential future financial deficit.
The assessment boycott was announced in an email sent by associate principal and deputy secretary at the university Lucy Evans which stated:
“The Edinburgh branch of the University and College Union (UCUE) is calling on its members to take continuous action short of a strike in the form of a marking and assessment boycott.
“The ongoing industrial action is a challenging and disruptive time for many of you, particularly for those who are preparing for exams and submitting coursework and other assignments. We understand that news of further action will naturally cause additional concern. While we respect the right of staff to take part in industrial action – and recognise that some of you support the Union action – we do not believe this further escalation was necessary as constructive discussions have taken place.
“A marking and assessment boycott is deliberately and overtly targeted to be disruptive to your education and we will do everything we can to protect you from disruption.”
In a letter sent to staff, the University explained: “As the Principal made clear in his email to all staff on 19 March, we strongly refute recent baseless statements made by UCUE about the actions we are taking to reshape and protect the long-term future of our University, and we do not believe further escalation is necessary as constructive discussions have taken place.
“While we fully respect the right for staff to take industrial action, we are deeply disappointed that UCU Edinburgh members have again voted in favour of deliberately and
overtly targeting our students with a marking and assessment boycott. This will add to the strain on our students during an already challenging and important time.”
The city’s third largest employer announced job losses as part of the financial cut which has caused union members to fight and dispute through industrial action since June last year.
Following the announced boycott, Edinburgh Universities Principal and Vice Chancellor Professor Sir Peter Mathieson explained that the institute is ‘profoundly disappointed, disheartened and frustrated that UCU Edinburgh members have again voted in favour of purposefully targeting our students with a marking and assessment boycott’, adding:
“We believe that this action is completely unjustifiable and will add unnecessary strain on our students during an already challenging and important time.
“Students will understandably have very real concerns about the disruption this boycott will cause, given that for some this may impact receiving awards or outcomes on progression. We will take all practical steps to keep exams and coursework submissions on track to support our students’ ability to progress and graduate.
“UCUE representatives may say that they want constructive engagement, however this decision and timing suggests otherwise. The University will continue to offer consultation with union representatives and continue to uphold our commitments under the agreement reached in December 2025, as we believe this is in the best interests of our staff.”
Sophia Woodman further explained that the union is acting to ‘preserve the conditions for research and education’, despite potentially affecting students from receiving their degree certificates.
In the statement shared, Woodman added:
“Management has announced punitive 100% pay deductions on our members who decide to engage in the MAB. They have said that those who are not being paid will ‘not be obliged to carry out other work’. This is an effective lock-out of our members who are engaging in legitimate industrial action. We’ve pointed out to management that this punishment imposed on our members will harm students expecting supervision during the summer, as is the case for many masters’ students who do their dissertations during this period.
“Our branch negotiators are ready and willing to seek a negotiated solution and avoid a MAB that no one wants. Reaching a solution will depend on management being reasonable and addressing the union’s concerns including the disproportionate amount of the budget cuts management has allocated to staff cuts, the severe cuts to jobs among our most precariously-employed workers and the threat of compulsory redundancies being announced during the summer.
“There is no reason Edinburgh needs to be in this position. This University has enormous reserves and has other options for reducing its expenditure, which is what management wants to do. UCU Edinburgh has repeatedly pointed out these other options, but management appears to be unwilling to listen. We hope that will change, and teaching staff can go back to supporting their students’ learning through providing feedback on their work, as normal. The ball is in management’s court.”
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