This article was updated 2 March 10:37 after clarification from KCL on UWHA negotiations
Professional services staff at King’s College London (KCL) will walk out on 10 and 11 March, as Unison declares a two-day strike threatening renewed campus disruption.
Unison is one of three Unions at KCL, alongside Unite the Union and the University and College Union (UCU).
It represents over a thousand professional services staff at King’s, including workers in:
- Campus Operations: Estates, security, cleaning, catering, and residences
- Student Life & Services: Libraries, King’s Sport, KCLSU, general student services and student casual staff
- Core Administration: Finance, HR and general professional services
Unison announced a strike after rejecting a 1.4% pay offer made by the University and College Employers Association (UCEA), which represents King’s and other universities.
The union branch launched a formal ballot for strike action in October 2025. With 89% of participating members voting to take part in strike action, Unison has met the 50% turnout requirement.
Unison told union members on its website that “this year’s pay offer is an increase of just 1.4% on all pay points, along with proposals to delete points 5 and 6 of the pay scale. This is the lowest offer of all public sector areas”.
In an email to students, King’s said that the strikes mean they “may need to alter some of our building entrances and exits at short notice”, saying they “are focused on doing everything we can to minimise the impact”.
In a statement, KCL Unison told Roar:
“The reason for the massive opposition to the offer is 1.4% is one of the lowest pay offers made to any of the public services and constitutes a real terms pay cut when considering UK Retail Price Index (RPI) inflation in 2025 ranged between 4.4% and 4.8%.
“We do not take this action lightly however we need action to be taken to address this insulting pay offer and we need KCL to put pressure on the employer negotiating body UCEA to reopen negotiations.
“We are also asking KCL to meet locally with KCL Unison to find a solution to the dispute at a local level. Our members who keep the university running and support your education are finding it increasingly difficult to earn enough to pay the bills.
“We would encourage students to join us on our pickets lines on the 10 and 11 March to say no to real term pay cuts and yes to good jobs and fair pay”.
Staff, who are timetabled to work within these days, will be entitled to £50 strike per day if they join in. Unison encouraged staff not to accept work or work overtime on strike days.
Not the First, Nor the Last
KCL Unison last took strike action in 2022 after pension cuts and a pay dispute between the union and the university.
In early 2025 they entered negotiations with King’s after taking issue with paid overtime not being considered when calculating staff’s “holiday pay” – pay received when on annual leave.
Following discussions, the union branch negotiated a settlement that all overtime worked by an employee of the university would be subject to a holiday pay premium of 8.3%, paid in addition to the standard overtime rate.
Later in 2025, KCL Unison campaigned against plans to change the contracts of security staff at the university to force them to work their regular working pattern over the Christmas break. On 10 July, following months of campaigning, university management confirmed they would not be proceeding with the plans.
Previously in October 2024, KCL Unison announced they would be campaigning for an Unsocial Working Hours Allowance (UWHA) to be implemented at King’s. This would compensate staff members for the added inconvenience and health impact of those who work unsocial hours, any hours outside of the standard 9am–5pm.
King’s told Roar they have agreed with Unison to review UWHA to establish whether it is appropriate for allowances to be paid for working unsocial hours.
A King’s spokesperson told Roar:
“We fully respect the right of our frontline staff to take part in industrial action, and we will have measures in place to ensure that our students experience minimal disruption and can continue to access campus facilities and services.
“The national pay settlement is agreed each year through negotiations between the University and College Employers Association (UCEA) – which represents 140 HEIs including King’s – and nationally recognised unions, one of which is Unison.
“At King’s, we have also introduced an additional 2.5% increase to London Weighting Allowance, which is negotiated locally in agreement with local trade union partners – and we will continue to work closely with our unions on the important issues that matter to staff.”
On 6 March at Pelican House, KCL UCU will host a solidarity fundraiser for their sister branch, KCL Unison, to raise money for Unison’s strike fund.
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