Hundreds of university students face not having their degrees finally confirmed this summer amid a boycott of marking and assessment by some staff.
It is part of the long-running industrial action at Queen's University Belfast (QUB) with fears that it may affect some graduations and impact students who need their degree classification to get jobs.
Recent figures from the university suggested that more than 700 final year students at QUB will be impacted.
They will be awarded degrees, but may not have either their degree title or their result or classification confirmed.
Read More
- Hundreds of university students face graduating without final degree result
- QUB graduations at risk over industrial action, students warned
QUB students who have studied architecture, law and psychology are likely to be most impacted as their final degree marks include a level of professional accreditation.
Members of the University and College Union (UCU) at universities across the UK, including QUB, have been involved in industrial action over pay, working conditions and pensions.
The marking boycott means some UCU members are not taking part in things like invigilating exams, or marking exam papers or assessments.
The union has said that a five per cent pay offer of an increase is not enough and is among the reasons for the refusal to mark papers.
Professor Sean O'Connell from the UCU at QUB said the marking boycott was "very much a last resort".
"We have been taking strike action for several years now and it hasn't worked, so this is really the final tactic that the union is trying to use this time," he told the Stephen Nolan show.
He said they had been "pushing our employers" to address their concerns over pay and contracts for several months.
But he said "ultimately, some students are not going to be graduating with their full degree classification this summer, that's very unfortunate".
"That is the nature of any industrial action , there is an impact on something... this is the legal action, it has been voted for by over 50 per cent of our members," he added.
"It is also something the students have supported, in the past student referendum at Queen's in the last academic year 84 per cent of them supported our demands and supported our industrial action so we have in the past had extremely strong support from the students at Queen's."
Professor O'Connell added that he was "disappointed, upset this is happening, no-one in our branch has taken this step easily".
"There is total frustration among the staff at the university and total frustration that the university is not dealing with work load issues and the health issues that come with that impact on our staff," he said.
"We are upset at what's happening to the students, but we are upset at what is happening to the staff at Queen's and what has been happening to the staff at Queen's for the last few years."
QUB has been contacted for comment.
