Members of Unison, Unite, and UCU at South Kensington campus - along with supporting students too.
Great turnout for the rally marking the end of our recent days of action with @unitetheunion.bsky.social and @unison.org.uk colleagues.
If you are at @imperialcollegeldn.bsky.social, did you know our median pay has been cut 9% in real terms since 2018?
Details: ucu.imperial.ac.uk/archives/1125
@ucuimperial.bsky.social @ucu.org.uk
All three recognised unions at Imperial College are out together on the long-running dispute over pay & conditions.
Union members marching at Imperial College London South Kensington campus. Holding banners for Universities and Colleges Union and flags of Unite the Union
On the march, 16th Feb 2026 with @unitetheunion.bsky.social and @unison.org.uk colleagues
www.imperial.ac.uk/staff/joint-...
We can win a better pay rise and improved conditions for everyone at Imperial - but we need you to join us. Every member of staff who takes strike action now will make a difference.
Join a union @imperialcollegeldn.bsky.social now: www.imperial.ac.uk/staff/joint-...
We know the money's there!
Image description: Graph of median pay relative to 2018 adjusted for inflation shows it decreasing almost every year to 2025, where it is nearly 10% lower than in 2018. Picture of Unison, Unite, and UCU union members on picket lines with banners.
We can win a better pay offer in 2026!
We've suffered a 9% pay cut in real terms since 2018.
Management imposed another real-terms cut last year - insisting that a 2% increase was all they could afford - and then refused to negotiate with the unions. 2026 pay negotiations begin in April.
#ImperialCollege #ucu #ucuRISING #Solidarity #HigherEd #AcademicStaff #PTOworkers #StrikeAction #ImperialStudents
💬 We remain committed to negotiations.
The College can end all strike action immediately by returning to the table with a meaningful offer that reverses the real-terms cuts staff have endured.
Until then, pickets remain in place.
See you 8:30–10:30 at South Ken & White City.
✊🔥
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🔹 Compensation portal: ucu.imperial.ac.uk/%E2%80%A6
🔹 Student explainer: ucu.imperial.ac.uk/%E2%80%A6
(We encourage all students to read the explainer first.)
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📣 For students seeking guidance:
If your teaching has been affected, you can use the compensation request tool many students have already started using:
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🎓 Students are firmly on our side.
The Imperial College Union Council voted nem con to support the strike.
We’re hugely grateful to them — this is what solidarity looks like.
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The Times Higher has picked up the story — both our strike action and the deepening governance scandal.
🔗 THE coverage:
www.timeshighereducation.com/news/imperia...
(paywalled; summary provided in our link above)
When a dispute reaches the sector press like this, you know it’s serious.
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📌 To catch up: the unions uncovered evidence that the College misrepresented the findings of its own 2018–21 salary review, burying recommendations that would have raised benchmarks — then presenting rewritten “conclusions” to staff.
👉 ucu.imperial.ac.uk/files/2025/1...
This is… not normal.
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🚨 Day 2 of 4: Staff strike at Imperial.
UCU & Unite are on the picket lines Tues–Fri, followed by two weeks of UCU teaching-targeted action until the end of term.
What began as a pay dispute has become a serious governance crisis.
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Remember to vote in the national ballot!
If you did not receive it, order your replacement ballot here:
yoursay.ucu.org.uk/s3/wearetheu....
The replacement request form closes TOMORROW.
Another highlight of this last week of strikes was the History team subject showcase, followed by Claire Jenkins talking about resistance and protest in film 📽️
"[...] the more impossible it becomes to make that kind of choice, the smaller the space for learning for the joy of it becomes … well, then, it will eventually only be for the elite. Modern language degrees will be the domain of the rich."
www.theguardian.com/education/20...
Can't find your ballot? Get another.
Replacements ballot requests end SUNDAY MIDNIGHT:
yoursay.ucu.org.uk/s3/wearetheu...
Lancaster University UCU members have beaten back compulsory redundancies.
After weeks of pressure management has agreed to halt all forced job cuts until July 2026.
This is a victory for jobs and every branch fighting cuts across the sector. We are the university.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
We're holding a Zoom meeting for all Imperial trade union members (UCU, Unite & Unison) at 1pm today about the pay dispute and this week's strike action -- members check your union-registered email for info!
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.)
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