A message for staff participating in the Marking and Assessment Boycott

07 Jun 2023

Effective from 9 June: A review of pay withholding arrangements for those choosing not to report

The following message is intended directly for those taking part in the Marking and Assessment boycott (MAB). We realise this is not relevant for the vast majority of our staff, however it’s important we reach all those who may be participating. 

While the precise impact that the ongoing MAB will have on our graduating and progressing students remains uncertain, we are doing absolutely everything in our power to minimise any adverse consequences for our students. 

We want to make sure that we enable as many students as possible to graduate and protect our students and fellow colleagues from further distress and disruption. This week is the very last opportunity for colleagues participating in MAB but not declaring their involvement to either return to their assessment duties or let us know so we can apply other mitigation measures. We strongly encourage all colleagues that fall within this cohort to report your involvement by Friday, 9 June, ahead of the escalation measures outlined below. 

These measures will not affect any academic and PS staff who continue to work as normal, or any colleagues who have already disclosed their participation in the MAB to us, for whom the 50% deduction would remain. Likewise, if you are participating in action but have not yet reported it, as long as you do so before Friday, 9 June, you will not be subject to the escalated measures, though there will be a 50% salary deduction. 

Pay withholding update 

Unfortunately, since our last communication on Monday 22 May, where we reiterated the importance of participating colleagues reporting their involvement, the University of Manchester’s branch of UCU (UMUCU) continues to discourage its members from confirming their participation in the MAB until their action has ceased. UMUCU has acknowledged that this approach contradicts UCU’s national guidance on reporting. 

While we understand their intention is to disrupt the status quo, we are left in a difficult position as this advice not only hinders our ability to alleviate the potential impact on our students and staff but also amplifies the distress and discomfort that our graduating and progressing students are feeling. 

For these reasons, we have made the very difficult decision to escalate our pay withholding arrangements for those colleagues preventing the University from mitigation that will help support our students.

From Monday, 12 June: 

• All colleagues who have reported their participation in MAB so far or report their participation before the end of day on Friday, 9 June will continue to be subject to a 50% withholding of pay. In line with our position to date, we reserve the right to review and increase the level of withholding at a later date. 
• If a colleague fails to report their MAB participation by the end of day on Friday, 9 June and it emerges at a later date that they are or were taking part in the MAB, the University will withhold 100% of the salary backdated to 12 June, and 50% of the salary prior to that, backdated to the earliest date on which their marking or assessment could commence. 
• Finally, if a colleague chooses to collect exam scripts but then does not undertake the marking of them due to participation in the MAB, the University will also withhold 100% of the salary backdated to 12 June, and 50% of the salary prior to that, backdated to the earliest date on which their marking or assessment could commence. In this scenario, colleagues could also be subject to disciplinary proceedings. The colleagues concerned have already been informed on the form they sign when collecting scripts. 

We do not want anyone to have 100% of their pay withheld, and we fully appreciate that colleagues choosing to take part in MAB are doing so as part of their legal right to action. The only way to trigger the 100% withholding of salary will be if you choose not to tell us you are taking part in MAB, contrary to the guidance from both the University and the national UCU. If you report your participation before Friday, 9 June you will be subject to a deduction of 50%, the same as colleagues who have declared already. 

Reporting  

If you have already reported your involvement in MAB, you do not need to take any action. If you plan to end your participation, please resubmit the form to include an end date, and inform your Head of Department. 

If you have not already let us know you are taking part in MAB, you can report participation by completing the online form and letting your Head of Department know.  

For more information, see our Frequently Asked Questions. 

By sharing this information, you can support us to put in place appropriate mitigation and reduce undue anxiety for our graduating and progressing students, as well as the teams involved in these processes across the University. It is also important to ensure the University’s GDPR requirements are met and to minimise the potential for errors or misunderstanding relating to pay.  

Thank you again to all our colleagues, both academic and PS, who continue to work as normal and in the interest of our students and colleagues. Your continued diligence and dedication will be critical as we work to ensure as little disruption as possible. 

Adèle MacKinlay 

Director of People and Organisational Development