Breaking: The strikes scheduled for the start of term at King’s have been called off

The staff at King’s College London have voted to officially end their marking boycott and cancel the strikes that were set to take place from Monday 25th September.

During a meeting last week, an overwhelming 96 per cent of KCL’s UCU members in attendance voted to call off both the boycott and the strikes and accept the latest deal they had been offered. This deal includes:

• A rise to £5,000 in London Weighting from December 2023, up from £3,500 in 2021.
• A rise from 18 up to 20 weeks paid maternity leave, and from two up to six weeks paid paternity leave.
• 20 per cent child care cost subsidies for under three-year-olds.
• A new recognition agreement covering the processes of negotiation, consultation, information and dispute resolution.
• Joint union-management working groups to address pay gaps, excessive workloads, and career progression including casualisation.

UCU regional officer Barry Jones said: “This deal makes a big difference for our members, especially those on the lowest incomes and those with caring responsibilities. I want to thank King’s College London for making us an offer that has settled this local dispute.

“We look forward to continuing to work with management to create a new recognition agreement and deal with high workloads, casualisation, pay gaps and career progression. Other universities now need to follow King’s lead.”

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