KCL UCU has confirmed that the marking and assessment boycott (MAB) has ended at King’s after settling its local disputes with KCL management.
Although the UCU called off the nation-wide MAB earlier this month, KCL UCU announced that it would be continuing the MAB as part of its local dispute.
However, this morning KCL UCU announced on X (formerly known as Twitter) that their local dispute had been solved.
Thanks to all those who held the line during the strikes & the MAB. It’s our collective action and determination that allowed us to solve our local dispute for fair pay, equality, and a voice at work! #ucuRISING pic.twitter.com/e0KNalTmXp
— KCL UCU is voting YES! (@KCL_UCU) September 19, 2023
Roar reached out to KCL UCU Branch President Ewan McGaughey to confirm that the MAB had ended as a result. He said:
“We are very pleased that we’ve been able to reach agreement with KCL management to settle our local disputes, and hope that we can set an example nationally about how working together we may achieve real progress for fair pay, voice at work and equality.
“Together with our colleagues in Unison and Unite, we have negotiated, and KCL UCU members have accepted:
- a rise in London Weighting to £5000 from December (the highest in London, including UCL)
- raising paid maternity leave from 18 to 20 weeks and paid paternity leave from 2 to 6 weeks (the first step towards equalising childcare responsibility, and undoing a major structural cause of the gender pay gap)
- 20% subsidies for childcare costs at registered Ofsted providers
- a written collective agreement with a framework for future negotiation and dispute resolution for the first time at KCL in over a decade
- at least 2 more staff-elected members on the KCL Council, the governing body, promised ahead of a major governance review – out of which we want to see a majority-elected Council
“We are grateful to all our members for their consistent support in making KCL a better place.”
However, the planned UCU strike action next week is still set to continue. KCL UCU have a general meeting tomorrow and will vote on whether to take part in or call off the national action at the start of term.
To read more about the industrial action, click here.
