Minister speaks out on ‘regrettable’ impact of university marking boycott

A marking boycott which will mean some students will gradate from university without knowing their degree results is “regrettable”, Scotland’s higher education minister has said.

Graeme Dey spoke out as students in Scotland and the rest of the UK voiced concerns that their degrees could be devalued as a result of the action by members of the University and College Union (UCU).

The row has seen academics at 145 universities across the UK boycott marking since April 20 as part of  an ongoing dispute over pay and conditions – with the union vowing to continue the action till employers make an improved offer.

Edinburgh University politics student Ollie Lewis said the “grotesque situation” meant he would be “walking across the graduation stage with an empty piece of paper” as he has yet to be given the results of his final degree exam.

He told BBC Scotland: “A graduation is supposed to be a celebration of what I’ve achieved – and I don’t know what I’ve achieved.”

Mr Dey, the further and higher education minister in the Scottish Government, said the impact of the boycott “varied depending on the institutions”.

He said, however, it was a “regrettable situation”.

He spoke out after raising the issue with universities at a meeting on Tuesday.

Mr Dey also met representatives from the UCU last week and is to meet the National Union of Students next week.

Asked about the boycott when giving evidence to MSPs on the Education, Children and Young People Committee, the minister said: “I had a further discussion with the universities yesterday.

“I think it is a regrettable situation that we find ourselves in and the impact that that is having on students.”

He said the current situation was “indicative of a very strained relationship that exists between the trade unions and management” in the university sector.

Despite that, he urged the Universities and Colleges Employers Association (UCEA) to get back round the table for talks with the UCU.

Mr Dey told the committee: “I have urged management in Scotland to seek to have the UCEA get back round the table with the trade unions to try to make progress in resolving this, because that is the way we are going to get this sorted out.”

He added: “Individual universities have taken different approaches as to how they address the impact of the marking boycott and the impacts are varied depending on the institutions.

“It’s not an entirely satisfactory situation that we find ourselves in, not at all. But we need to get this resolved.”