Students in Sheffield may not graduate this summer due to a marking boycott by the Sheffield branch of the University and Colleges Union (UCU).
The boycott comes as part of further industrial action in the now six-year dispute over pay and conditions with their employers.
In a statement on their website, the UCU said: “The boycott will see staff refusing to complete any marking and assessment of students’ work, meaning students could be left without grades with some unable to graduate.”
This means despite having a full year at University not heavily disrupted by the Covid-19 pandemic, students may still have their graduations and results delayed.
Along with the marking boycott, Sheffield UCU will hold a further 10 days of strike action, though the dates for these strikes have not yet been announced.
So far this year, UCU staff have striked for a total of 15 days and have also dedicated themselves to action short of strike, including working strictly to contracted hours and not taking on any additional duties.
On top of UCU action, student groups supporting the strikes occupied five different University buildings, causing scheduled lectures, seminars and other course related sessions to be cancelled or delayed.
The UCU has chosen to take further action as Universities across the UK continue to ignore demands for improved pay and conditions and to restore retirement pensions, which have been cut by 35% since the start of the pandemic.
Universities UK are yet to comment on the new action.
