How to Declare Participation in the Marking and Assessment Boycott

• You are not obliged to inform your employer in advanceof your intention to participate in the boycott. 
• Do not use the form provided by HR

To communicate with HR about your participation in the MAB please do so only in writing to hrindustrialaction@kent.ac.uk.

• Make sure to record any annual leave or sick days on staff connect, from April 20th – present.

 

Guidance for staff in an ‘opt out’ Division (A&H, LSSJ, HSS)

• As you are not obliged to inform your employer in advanceof your intention to participate in the boycott, we are advising you to ‘opt out’ via email until a few days before your marking/ assessment is due. 
• If you have been specifically asked in writing to “opt out” (e.g. A&H, LSSJ and HSS), state that you are ‘opting out’ now, then declare your participation later. 

Send a version of the text below to hrindustrialaction@kent.ac.uk by FRIDAY 5th May.

I am not participating in the Marking and Assessment Boycott (MAB).

You should not copy and paste the above verbatim, but nor should you add anything substantive.

• Even if you are on study leave, sick leave, or in another situation that shouldn’t result in deductions, you should still ‘opt out’ as above, because we cannot trust the employer not to deduct you in error.

 

How to declare your participation once you are close to the marking due date (same process for ‘opt in’ or ‘opt out’)

• Declare participation as late as possible e.g. if your marking takes 3 full days, declare 3 days before the marking is due. Remember you must answer truthfully once you are participating.

When you have reached the latest available point at which you reasonably think that you could start your marking/ assessment in order to return marks to students on time, send the following to hrindustrialaction@kent.ac.uk:

“I am writing to inform you that I have decided to participate in the Marking and Assessment Boycott. Today DATE  begins my period of participation in the Marking and Assessment Boycott. The date on which students are expected to receive marks is DATE and my participation in the Marking and Assessment Boycott will last X NUMBER OF WORKING DAYS.” 

• If your participation includes a weekend or bank holiday, make sure to state that your participation excludes those dates.
• For other marking or assessment duties, we recommend that you declare as late as possible, and for a strictly limited period. g.: exam invigilation; on the day, assigning marking; 1 day, practical/ in person assessments; on the day, exam boards; on the day, fieldwork/ presentations; day/s the assessment takes place.

 

Why we are taking this approach

• The overall approach seeks to minimise the financial impact upon you, and the number of days on which you will likely incur a salary deduction.
• Since it is the Easter break, and coursework marks will not be due back yet, the guidance to ‘opt out’ in A&H LSSJ and HSS is to ensure staff are not deducted for that whole period.
• This ‘opt out’ approach will hinder EG mitigating the action in advance, because it will be harder for them to determine who is and isn’t taking part. 
• We are not using HR’s form because you may need a copy of your communications with HR to challenge any wrongful deductions from your salary.
• We are being careful to declare any sick days, annual leave etc on staff connect because it makes it harder to (erroneously) deduct pay for these days.
• The University claim they will deduct for the ‘period of marking’ i.e. from the assessment due date until the marking deadline. However, the branch is advising you to declare as above.