The university has adopted the position that boycotting staff are in “breach of contract”, will receive no pay, and are therefore not expected to work at all, leading to what some have described as a “lockout”.
Now, emails and university communications seen by The Herald show that staff will have their pay withheld if they refuse to “cover a range of duties, including marking and assessment, supervision”, or other work left by their boycotting colleagues.
This includes staff members who have already completed their assigned marking on time and are now being asked to cover for colleagues.
It has led to some staff being told to supervise additional students, even if they are not specialists in those students’ areas of research or do not work in the same language.
Multiple staff members have told The Herald that they made a “difficult decision” not to participate in the boycott alongside their colleagues, but the reallocation of work is pressuring them to do so and accept the consequences that come with it.
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As of at least May 21, a FAQ (frequently asked questions) page in the staff SharePoint indicated staff “could be asked to cover marking and assessment duties” if they are not participating in the MAB, even if they are participating in “Action Short of Strike (ASOS), such as working to contract”.
The FAQ added: “You must accept reallocated marking and assessment work if it would be reasonable to do so in other circumstances.” Staff who refuse to do so in solidarity with boycotting colleagues are told they must declare themselves as participating in the boycott, and “pay will be withheld as a result.”
However, by May 25, the FAQ was updated. It now reads that staff “could be asked to cover a range of duties, including marking and assessment, supervision or other duties as a result of a colleague’s participation.”
“Supervision” and “other duties” were not included as work that could be reallocated in the original FAQ. The university’s examination period concluded on May 22. According to staff members, even though the MAB is still active, most of the current responsibilities would fall under “supervision” or “other duties.”
The FAQ was also updated to include a new line stating that participation in ASOS or “working to contract” is not a valid reason for refusing reallocated work. “Working to contract” is a form of ASOS in which staff continue to work but do not take on responsibilities outside of their explicit contract hours and duties. This typically includes not covering for absent colleagues.
UCUE members have been taking part in ASOS since late March.
In an email from management, a staff member was told that reallocated work was not considered additional work, and that managers are responsible for ensuring that workloads are not unreasonable.
The final addition to the FAQ said that staff could face disciplinary action if they did not declare their participation in the boycott.
The UCUE has been approached for comment.
When asked whether the updated FAQ reflects a change in university policy or a clarification of its existing stance, a university spokesperson indicated that the website information is regularly updated for clarity.
When asked whether staff are contractually obligated to cover reallocated supervision work, what policy governs whether workloads are deemed “unreasonable”, and whether there are exceptions for staff asked to supervise students in specialisms that are not their own, the university referred to a previous statement related to the MAB.
The statement said managers are “legally entitled to cover the work of staff participating in industrial action by reallocating work to appropriate staff who are not taking part in the industrial action.”
UCUE members voted to launch the MAB in opposition to university management’s £140 million savings plan, which includes an expected £90m in cuts to staff costs. In March, The Herald reported that 430 staff members had left the university since the savings drive began. There have been at least 44 more departures since then, although UCUE President Sophia Woodman previously told Holyrood’s Education Committee that the actual number could be as high as 800 individual members of staff.
The UCUE has published a list of seven asks in connection to the MAB, including a commitment to a set period in which no ‘at risk of redundancy’ notices will be served; a halt on cuts to Guaranteed Hours budgets; evidence of non-staff savings already considered and taken; and a robust policy for avoiding redundancies.
