Trade union members begin negotiations for 2025-26 pay award

In line with the process around the annual pay award for all staff at Imperial, the Joint Trades Unions' (JTU) delegation is embarking on the negotiations for the 2025-26 pay award (to be in place from 1 August 2026). 

You can learn more about the JTU negotiating team and Imperial's negotiating team via the HR webpages about the 2025-26 pay award. 

Trades Unions members at Imperial are the only people eligible to participate in consultations about pay for all staff at Imperial.

You can join the Trades Unions at the links below:

• Unison
• Unite
• UCU

Find out more about the 2024-25 pay offer (3.14% + £1,000 consolidated increase) via the Annual Pay Award webpages:Imperial's full and final pay offer 2024/25

Update on industrial and strike action since 2022

Following the decision to ACCEPT the 2024-25 pay award from the College, we have also agreed to end the dispute over pay for the 2022-23 and 2023-24 pay awards, that resulted in large scale industrial action for nearly 12 months from autumn 2022 to autumn 2023. You can read more about this below.

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Members of all three recognised unions at Imperial - UCU, Unison and Unite - independently and overwhelmingly voted to take strike action in response to the pay dispute after the 2022-23 pay award was imposed by the university - a 3.3% pay rise in the face of a 10%+ cost of living crisis.

The College management then imposed a 5.5% pay increase for 2023-24, again in the face of double-digit inflation across the economy, further widening the difference between pay and the rising cost of day-to-day survival. 

This equates to losing one month's pay every year, just for staying employed at Imperial.

Members of UCU and Unite both took part in strike action between November 2022 and October 2023. Unison members joined from June 2023 onwards.

The JTU and College Management have agreed to participate in ACAS-facilitated negotiations in order to find an appropriate resolution. This resulted in an ACCEPTED pay award in 2024-25, putting an end to the dispute.

UCU action was mandated both locally and at the national level, with the national strike mandate including negotiations about the USS pension scheme and other working conditions. This national mandate has been ended following a significant agreement with the restoration of pension benefits agreed between UCU, UUK, USS, and employers.

Visit the different branch pages for specific details and updates about industrial action. 

Download the pay dispute leaflet and slide deck for more information.

Results of strike ballot - spring 2023

All three unions at Imperial achieved the mandate to strike in a re-ballot in spring 2023, with Unison and UCU both also securing the mandate to take action short of a strike (ASOS).

These will be valid for six months on the completion of the ballot (until mid-October 2023).

*Minimum turnout of 50% for the ballot to have met the threshold for formal mandate