'It's a mess': Glasgow students hit out as strikes affect degrees

Soon-to-be graduates at the University of Strathclyde say they are "ridiculously stressed" and "angry" at the situation and lack of communication from bosses.

University and College Union (UCU) members are currently in a "15-year-long" dispute with the Universities and Colleges Employers Association (UCEA), over pay and conditions.

This led to a marking and assessment boycott, which meant that some students did not receive the same degree they spent years studying or their exams were marked by people who are not experts in the field.

Rebecca Elizabeth May, who studied English and French for five years, will walk away with an unclassified degree in Humanities and Social Sciences.

She said: "This is the degree I would have gotten if I graduated two years ago.

"It's not good. I am meant to be continuing, doing a Post Graduate Diploma and they currently won't confirm that they will accept the degree they awarded me.

"So, they might not accept the degree that they themselves gave me.

"Everyone is ridiculously stressed and angry.

"We are getting no answers, it's an absolute mess.

"The way this has been handled is atrocious."

Another student, 22, who is also affected, submitted a formal complaint.

She said: "This degree does absolutely nothing to show employers what I worked for.

"We went through a pandemic, a whole year of online teaching, a year abroad, which we had to fight for because of Brexit.

"Also, out of the ten semesters that I have been registered as a student at Strathclyde, not one of them has been unaffected by strike action."

Other than the Glasgow institution, around 150 universities are affected UK-wide.

Rebecca Elizabeth May (Image: Colin Mearns, Newsquest)

Strathclyde University, TIC Building (Image: Colin Mearns, Newsquest)

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Ross Gibson, UCU branch secretary at Strathclyde University, called the ordeal "shameful and embarrassing".

The trade union is fighting for better pay, mental health support, an end to short-term contracts

He added: "We have reluctantly decided to take this boycott, which has resulted in chaos across Strathclyde, Glasgow, UWS, Edinburgh and beyond.

"The mechanisms which were previously in place, have been ripped up and replaced with different mechanisms, which means some students will graduate with a non-descript degree because universities just want them to get through."

A spokesperson for the University of Strathclyde said: “Due to industrial action by members of the UCU, it has not been possible to finalise the degree classifications for a small number of our students due to some staff withholding marks.  

“The University has awarded unclassified degrees to these students to enable them to graduate and celebrate their achievements with their peers.

"Affected students will receive their official degree classifications as soon as possible. 

"The University regrets the uncertainty that the marking boycott is causing."

Strathclyde University graduation, from the archive (Image: Newsquest)

Raj Jethwa, chief executive of UCEA, said: “It is awful for those students facing potential delays to receiving their degree classifications because of UCU’s boycott.

"It was out of a genuine concern for their employees that HEIs agreed to propose to unions an early start to the 2023-24 pay round.

"We agreed to a process which led to pay uplifts of between 5 to 8%, nearly half of which was delivered to staff six months early, to ease the cost of living pressures.

“The acceleration in 2023-24 negotiations led to a minimum uplift of £1,000 on all points from February 2023, with a further increase planned from August.

"The pay uplift for 2023-24 is at the limits of the sector’s affordability. Anything more would put further jobs at risk and increase workloads for colleagues.

“While there is no more we can offer on pay, UCEA remains committed to negotiations with UCU and the other trade unions, on the basis of the Acas proposals.

"These cover action in important areas, including the pay spine, use of contract types and improving job security, workload and further reducing the gender, ethnicity and disability pay gaps in the sector.

"We urge UCU to pause its boycott, accept the Acas terms of reference and come back to the negotiating table.”