UK universities union abandons national approach to marking dispute

UCU climbdown allows individual campuses to decide on strike action; 20 universities plan to go ahead

The long-running industrial dispute over pension cuts and working conditions at UK universities appears to be faltering, after union branches abandoned a national marking strike due to start this week that could delay students from graduating.

Last month, 41 branches of the University and College Union (UCU) backed a national marking and assessment boycott, supported by 86% of staff who returned ballots. But only 20 universities are going ahead with a boycott after opposition from branches and members led to national action being curtailed by the union's executive in favour of letting individual campuses decide.