RESULT OF BALLOT:

A total of 30,141 valid votes were counted, giving a turnout of 52.6%. The eligible votes were cast as follows –

To accept the offer and call off the marking boycott:
25,239 (83.7%)

To reject the offer and commence the marking boycott at the earliest opportunity possible:
4,902 (16.3%)

This will be discussed at higher education committee tomorrow after which a further report will be sent.

For questions on the possible upcoming marking boycott, please see our FAQ page.

UCU’s new advice to members is as follows:

Do not respond to requests about your participation until the action has begun.
As soon as the action begins (e.g 28 April), if asked by a person in authority members should answer truthfully. If you have a discretion as to when you start marking, a reply such as this below would be recommended.

“I intend to support the UCU marking boycott but will not be doing so until x date when I have scheduled work to do which is included in the boycott. I will not be engaged in marking every day after that date. Please note that I would have expected all my marking work to have been completed by x date.”

If you do not have discretion as to when you must start marking, then reply giving the date when you would have started. If you know when your marking work would have been completed, you should also give that date.