Strike action affects exams

Strike action by the University and College Union (UCU) could impact summer examinations if disputes over pensions are not resolved, with a number of UK universities stating they will alter their assessments to reflect loss of teaching.

Cambridge, York, and University College London (UCL) were among the universities saying they were considering removing questions from examinations if strike action meant teaching on those subjects was missed.

UCL told The Times they would “make every arrangement possible to minimise the impact” of the strikes, but were prepared to change assessments in the case of severe disruption.

A number of Imperial students have exams scheduled during the period of the strikes. However, in last week’s debate at Union Council over whether to support the strikes, Abhijay Sood, Academics Affair Officer for the Royal College of Science Union (RCSU) said impact on examinations should be negligible, since invigilators were not members of UCU.

In a statement on their website, Imperial College London say they will “make every effort to ensure all your assessment activities go ahead and are staffed appropriately.”

However, there are concerns the dispute between UCU and Universities UK (UUK) will continue throughout the dates of the strike action. UCU has warned its mandate for strike action is valid for six months, which means exams and graduations could be targeted this summer.

Sally Hunt, UCU general secretary, said: “We are keeping the channels of communication open. There is no sign they intend to shift. There will be significant strike action from Thursday. It will be ongoing until we find a resolution.”