Imperial College management must act urgently.
Staff deserve transparency, accountability, and pay that reflects their contribution to the institution’s success.

Further industrial action next week can still be avoided—if management returns to the table.

#ImperialCollege #FairPayNow #ucu

This raises serious questions about governance, integrity, and accountability.

The Joint Trade Unions have now formally requested:

• an independent external investigation, and

• an immediate return to negotiations with a fair and improved offer.

Those recommendations would have ensured Imperial’s pay remained competitive with comparable institutions.
Instead, management adopted weaker principles that lower benchmarks and reduce salaries in real terms, without transparency or staff consent.

A significant new development in the Imperial College pay dispute.

The Joint Trade Unions have uncovered that key 2018 pay benchmarking recommendations—based on extensive staff consultation—were quietly set aside by College management.

Read the full update here: ucu.imperial.ac.uk/archives/1143

Solidarity with all @ucuimperial.bsky.social

Reporting in Imperial's student newspaper on the joint trade union strike action @ucuimperial.bsky.social felixonline.co.uk/articles/uni...

A reminder that we're on strike again today -- ALL WELCOME TO JOIN US AT 11.00 at the Exhibition Road entrance for a march around campus to make some noise and show your feelings to management!

Thank you for the support -- we hope to see you join the strike action soon!

This action is about ensuring that everyone who makes Imperial work is respected and fairly paid.
That’s in the interest of staff, students, and the future of the College alike. ✊

#ImperialStrike #FairPayForAll #ucu

If you’d like to help:

Write to the Provost or your Head of Department urging Imperial to reopen pay negotiations.

Join a union: imperial.ac.uk/staff/joint-trade-unions
.
(PhD students can join UCU for free.)

Share this post and help spread the word.

If you’re on or around campus, join us for a 15-minute march at 11 am (today and tomorrow), starting from the Exhibition Road entrance. Everyone is welcome — non-striking staff, students, families, children, pets — anyone who believes in fair pay.

This strike isn’t just for academics.
Our Professional, Technical and Operational (PTO) colleagues — the people who keep labs safe, systems running, offices organised, and students supported — have been hit hardest. Without them, nothing at Imperial works.

Our claim, made jointly with Unite and UNISON, is modest: a fair, inflation-proof pay rise that protects the value of staff pay across grades. Management have refused to negotiate seriously.

Over recent years, real pay at Imperial has fallen sharply, while management continue to spend around £200 million a year on capital projects. Independent benchmarking errors and below-inflation offers have compounded the problem.

Imperial UCU members are on strike today and tomorrow.
This action covers all parts of the College — academic, technical, administrative, and operational.
It’s about fairness, dignity, and pay that keeps pace with the cost of living.