“What do I say when someone asks me for my marking?”
Previous guidance has focussed on what to reply or not before the due date of marking i.e when your marking is due for moderating and/or release to students.
To repeat: do not complete the Industrial Action Staff Notification Form on SharePoint.
Now marking is due for return or will be imminently, you will be in a position to answer truthfully as regards your participation.
Remember before the release date, your reply was:
The Bristol branch of the UCU’s advice is that Bristol UCU members are under no duty to report their boycotting unless directly asked about a specific marking and assessment duty or task not being undertaken at the time.
As the marks/feedback for this duty is not yet released and/or due for moderating, and I am under no obligation as is to have completed this duty before the date on which it is due, I cannot answer this question until after the date of release.
UCU Branch Guidance is that you should only reply to direct, individual questions about the specific marking and assessment tasks that are already due/overdue. You are, therefore, under no obligation to answer generic emails sent to several markers on a unit. Members only need reply to queries from their direct line manager.
We are also advising members that they do not need to answer any questions from line managers that ask when they will be finishing their marking and assessments task. This would be a declaration of one’s future intention and thus advance notice of ASOS: ‘[y]ou are under no obligation to inform your employer/manager in advance as to whether you will be taking part in strike action or action short of a strike’.
We also advising members that they do not need to reply to questions that are not related to their participation in the MAB.
For example, ‘[w]here are essays or exams scripts x?’ is not a question regarding whether you are participating in ASOS including the marking and assessment boycott, and the action you have taken/are currently taking.
If asked about the task without any reference to whether you are actively boycotting said task, for example, if asked verbally, you may want to answer along the lines of:
Thank you for your email/question. The marking/assessment you refer to can be located on School/Department system
If asked about the task with reference to the Marking and Assessment Boycott:
Thank you for your email/question. I am currently not marking/assessing [insert marking/assessment task] as part of UCU’s marking and assessment boycott.
I should note that this is accurate as of now. It may not be the case in the future, and it should not be assumed that I am participating in the marking and assessment boycott after this point.
If asked about your future MAB-ing intentions:
I am under no obligation to inform anyone of my participation in lawful industrial action in advance
On queries on when you started boycotting:
I have made records on when I started participating in the boycott, and which will demonstrate I was undertaking lawful action short of strike industrial action.
Please note that by definition, my participation in the marking and assessment cannot be reasonably assumed to have begun before the due date of the marking here in question.
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