Read the full story.

View the Queen's University Belfast and University and College Union, QUB Branch Interim Arrangement June 2023.

Transcript:

Professor Sir Ian Greer, President and Vice Chancellor, Queen’s University Belfast:

We are relieved to announce that Queen’s University Belfast and University and College Union (UCU) have today reached an agreement to end the marking and assessment boycott – the first settlement of its kind across the UK.

Sean O’Connell, President of UCU at Queen’s University Belfast:

This interim arrangement includes a cost of living supplement equivalent to 2 per cent of pay and that will apply to all staff except those on the Senior Salary Scheme.

Professor Sir Ian Greer:

This will take effect from 1 September 2023.

In the event that a further national pay award increase is agreed between UCU and UCEA, the Employers’ organisation, in the 2023 to 2024 pay round, the University will not be obliged to make any further payments unless it exceeds 7 per cent in total.

Sean O'Connell:

We’ve also made progress on other issues, including the implementation of proposals around anti-casualisation, as they relate to fixed term contracts, and that will be done by the end of the year. There’ll also be a development of a strategy by the University to address issues in relation to gender, race and disability pay gaps.

Professor Sir Ian Greer:

This local outcome is the result of several weeks of intensive work between the two sides and means that those students affected will receive their classification as a matter of urgency.

Marking will be completed by the 7th of August to allow exam boards to finalise all results by the end of the summer.

Both sides were fully aware that students were bearing the brunt of the dispute and we were determined to find a resolution.

Clearly this has been a very difficult time for our students.

We regret the distress caused at what should be a celebratory time, and we hope that this provides assurance that the issue will now be addressed.

We are disappointed that this could not have been resolved ahead of graduations, during which around 750 students will receive their degree without classifications, but we are committed to urgently providing final degree classifications and a full graduation ceremony for them. We will provide further details in the very near future.

In the meantime, this is a UK-wide dispute and while we have resolved it as far as we can locally, we recognise our colleagues' right to take industrial action. We call for renewed focus to reach an overarching agreement across the board.

Sean O'Connell:

UCU members are fully aware and deeply regret the impact the recent action has had on our students, and we are pleased that we have reached an agreement to enable them to receive their exam results and degree classifications.

This dispute is not just about pay, and we are pleased that the University has also reached agreement with us on making progress in relation to casualisation, stress-related work pressures and other issues that will now also be addressed.

We welcome the fact that, locally, Queen’s recognised the challenges that we have been raising, and we now call on the University and Colleges Employers Association to follow the lead of Queen’s and get back around the table to resolve the national dispute.

Professor Sir Ian Greer:

We are working in challenging times, with funding for universities and colleges reduced by over 40 per cent since 2011 in Northern Ireland. This year we anticipate a cut of around £11 million.

It is the funding of universities that is at the very heart of this dispute.

The Northern Ireland funding model is not sustainable. I am keen to secure a model that will allow the sector to improve staff conditions, and which is also fair to students – but that can’t be resolved quickly.

Importantly, however, resolving this dispute will allow us all to focus on this core issue: university funding and the equitable access in Northern Ireland.

Beth Elder, incoming QUBSU President:

This has been an incredibly stressful and difficult time for students, and we have been working hard to ensure both sides understood fully the potential damage that was being caused to young people looking to start their careers or continue their studies.

I now call on the University and staff to ensure there are no further delays in completing the marking process. Nationally, we also call for an urgent resolution to the wider dispute so students across the UK do not face any more hardships or distress.

Professor Sir Ian Greer:

Queen’s students are the first across the UK in universities impacted by the marking and assessment boycott to be provided with certainty that their work will be marked and all final degree classifications awarded this summer.

They are our first priority and the common ground that has enabled us to reach this agreement in partnership. I would like to thank Sean and colleagues in the local UCU branch and Beth and her immediate predecessor, Emma, and, indeed, the entire Queen’s University Belfast Students’ Union team for working together with us to reach this point.