King's College London staff win big increase to London weighting

An overwhelming 96% of King's College UCU members attending a meeting last week voted to end the boycott and accept the deal, which includes:

• A rise to £5k in London Weighting from December 2023, up from £3.5k in 2021.
• A rise from 18 up to 20 weeks paid maternity leave, and from two up to six weeks paid paternity leave. 
• 20% 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 members had been boycotting all marking and assessments in a long-running local dispute. Unite and Unison are currently consulting their members on whether to accept management's offer.

UCU regional official 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.'