The pay dispute between the Universities and Colleges Union (UCU) and an association of British higher education institutions shows no sign of abating as students face a marking strike by lecturers from the end of April. This has raised fears that some graduations could be at risk.

The ongoing and highly visible industrial action over a one per cent pay rise for university staff has reached heights described by Sally Hunt, General Secretary of UCU, as “the ultimate sanction”.

In contrast to similar action in 2006, universities are likely to impose salary deductions on striking staff, escalating already-high tensions.

The Cambridge branch of UCU will be participating in the marking boycott if no deal is reached before the deadline. UCU members form part of the staff of most university faculties, and the impacts of the strike action in the past year or so has been felt across most disciplines.

However, unions taking part in previous walkout action, including Unite and UNISON, will not be taking part in the marking boycott.

Speaking to Varsity, Ronald Haynes, the president of Cambridge UCU, said: “Most of the staff who keep our universities running are having their pay cut. Their pay has fallen by 13 per cent in real terms since 2009 and now staff are angry because their employers have been refusing to offer any more than 1 per cent for the year.”

Haynes added that it would be very difficult at this stage to know exactly what the impact would be on Cambridge students, emphasising that the effects would depend upon the University’s response. Regardless of the outcomes here, however, he noted that due to the national character of the dispute “it may well affect the availability of results from external markers and examiners”.

Previous strikes have received support from CUSU as well as Cambridge Defend Education. Tom Wilson, a member of the Executive of the Cambridge Universities Labour Club, said: “No one likes it when their course is disrupted, but we must remember that the people who were the driving force behind our fee increases are the same who are now driving down pay of ordinary staff.

“Unified and successful strike action undertaken by students and staff will benefit students too; in the future, sympathetic ears among the staff could mean the difference between achieving what is in the interest of students, and being ignored entirely.”

A University spokesman said: “This is a national dispute and the University is represented through the new Joint Negotiating Committee for Higher Education (JNCHES) framework, supported by UCEA [the Universities and Colleges Employers Association] on behalf of university members.

“In such circumstances it would be inappropriate for the university to comment at this stage. We are monitoring the situation and awaiting further information to be released by the trade unions or by UCEA”.