The University of Edinburgh has agreed to end pay deductions for union members taking part in the marking and assessment boycott, with strike action set for September to be cancelled.
The University and College Union is taking part in action short of a strike across the UK in a dispute over pay and conditions, meaning coursework and exams will not be marked by their members.
The action began on April 22, with the UCU stating that many members had been threatened with 50% or even 100% paycuts.
Staff at the University of Edinburgh took strike action in June after 50% deductions were applied, with a further walkout planned for September.
However, the two sides have come together to agree that pay deductions will be paused, effective July 1, with the strike action cancelled.
Read More: University of Stirling apologises after student edited out of graduation footage
A statement issued by Professor Peter Mathieson on behalf of The University of Edinburgh and Sophia Woodman and Cat Wayland on behalf of UCU Edinburgh said: "The University has agreed to pause deductions for those currently taking part in the MAB with effect from 1 July 2023. Deductions up until this date will take place as previously notified unless national agreements supersede this.
"For the avoidance of doubt, deductions will be made from July pay in respect of participation in June, however no deductions will be made in August pay in respect of participation in July.
"This pause will not apply to any new action subsequent to the date of this statement by colleagues who have not previously taken part in the MAB, or who have previously taken part but subsequently ended their participation.
"UCU Edinburgh has agreed that as strike action was called at the University due to the level of deductions, UCU Edinburgh will recommend to members to agree to cancel the strike dates scheduled for September, and not seek authorisation for any further local strike action during the period of the mandate (ending 30th September), except in response to escalation by the University.
"Equally, the University will only review its position for the remainder of this mandate if UCU nationally or locally escalate the dispute. Escalation on both sides is taken to mean acting against either the terms or spirit of this agreement, resulting in further disruption to students.
"This period of relative calm will allow all staff to return to working normally, accepting that some UCU Edinburgh members may only begin to undertake outstanding marking and assessment when the dispute is settled nationally, or the MAB is ended.
"The University and UCU Edinburgh have agreed that UCU Edinburgh will encourage members to prioritise outstanding marking so that this marking will be complete to allow the October exam boards to run smoothly.
"To achieve this goal, line managers will ensure that the appropriate prioritisation of marking is managed within the overall workload of individual members."
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules here