Updated MAB and strike advice

Email sent to members on Monday 22nd June 2026.

Dear members,

Over the last week, the Department Reps network has identified a number of questions and scenarios for members participating in the Marking and Assessment Boycott. Whilst the situation varies across the 28 academic schools, and between courses within a single school, there are some relatively common features to what we are seeing reported. 

This email is an attempt to summarise what is known at this stage of our dispute and the University’s assessment cycle, and provide broad guidance for UoN UCU members in relation to participation in the MAB and/or strike action. It cannot speak to all possible scenarios and as the context at the University changes, it may prove necessary to update this guidance. 

Wider position of the UoN UCU Branch after 15th June marking deadline

1. 1. Strike action and Action Short of a Strike (ASOS), including the Marking and Assessment Boycott (MAB), remain in place until 31st July or until the Branch decides otherwise, for example in response to an acceptable offer from the Vice Chancellor and UEB.
   2. After June 15th, we note clear communications in some Schools that further marks are not required for Registry, including for work still unmarked due to the MAB. 
   3. In other Schools the contingency regulations cannot be universally applied (e.g. due to accreditation requirements) and therefore marking duties have not been withdrawn.
   4. Where marking continues to be required, the MAB should continue. This also applies to moderation of marked work (see item 11). 
   5. Those members who no longer have assessment duties cannot, for the moment, participate in the MAB. In these areas where management has indicated marks are no longer required, deductions for participation in the MAB appear likely to end on June 15th. 
   6. There is an upcoming window from mid-July when students may reject ‘part for whole’ and ‘derived marks’ produced by the Contingency Regulations where no actual mark exists. When students reject such made up marks, members may find they are asked to provide an actual mark. At this stage, members should return to participating in the MAB.
   7. It continues to be an expectation that all members participate in disruptive industrial action that brings management into meaningful negotiations on the terms of our dispute. As some members return to work under ASOS, they must take care to act in solidarity and neither accidentally nor purposefully undermine the industrial action of others.
   8. To summarise, the 15th June deadline covers a significant portion of assessment related work but not all of it. The MAB, wider ASOS and strike authorisation remain in place so that members with marking duties are not obliged to complete this work and continue the disruption that puts pressure on the University to negotiate.
   9. It remains in the Vice Chancellor and UEB’s power to bring this dispute and the disruption from our industrial action to an end.

What does this mean for UCU members?

1. 10. If member has been explicitly told they have no assessment related work to complete, they can consider their participation in the MAB at an end for the time being. If the status of your assessment related work hasn’t been communicated to you, talk to your UCU Rep. 
   11. Regarding moderation, where actual marks exist members should not provide verification of the marking process by completing the paperwork. However, if asked to complete moderation paperwork for a module where no marking has occurred due to the MAB, members should record that no actual marks exist and submit the paperwork accordingly, ensuring the relevant Exam Boards are formally notified. 
   12. If a member is asked directly about their past or present participation in the MAB, they should answer honestly. Being asked directly includes emails addressed to you specifically. It does not include where the request is one item amongst others in an all-staff email (see specific UCU guidance on this from the branch here and national here). 
   13. As with strike action, no one should declare their future participation as the action has yet to happen, and it may get called off if a deal is reached. 
   14. Members should keep in mind that wider ASOS remains in place (e.g. not covering for absent colleagues, working to hours, full list accessible here) .
   15. If assessment work is allocated to a member or required by a line manager (e.g. moderation activities, or marking work where students rejected a derived or part-for-whole mark), members should refuse on the grounds that they are taking part in ASOS/MAB, and/or return to strike action to prevent being required to work for free. 
   16. Members may remain on strike entirely whilst the authorisation for strike action is in place. 
   17. When members receive their June payslip showing evidence of pay deductions for industrial action (the payslip can be downloaded as a pdf from UniCore), they should apply to the UCU national Fighting Fund in the first instance, then to the local branch solidarity fund (details of how to apply to be shared nearer to payslip publication). 
   18. If you have questions related to the above, speak to your Department Rep. If you do not have a Department Rep, contact the Branch Committee: uonucubranch@gmail.com 

In solidarity,