Staff from the mayor of London’s policing office are set to strike for three days in a dispute over pay, after union members overwhelmingly backed industrial action.
Members of the Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS) working at the Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime (MOPAC) will strike from 24 to 26 February in protest for a 2% pay award for 2025-26.
The union said about 90% of those who voted supported strike action. It claims that the offer amounts to a real-terms pay cut and is the lowest settlement across the wider Greater London Authority Group.
By contrast, the union said staff at the London Assembly received a higher increase and employees of the Metropolitan Police were awarded a larger rise.
PCS said the disparity had left MOPAC workers, who handle policy, oversight, and victims’ services, feeling undervalued despite mounting workloads and the high cost of living in the capital.
The union added that staff have played a key role in supporting the mayor’s policing priorities, monitoring performance, commissioning services for victims of crime and scrutinising the police budget, all while teams have shrunk in recent years.
PCS general secretary Fran Heathcote said members had “sent a clear message” that they were not prepared to accept what she described as an unfair settlement. She warned that morale was being damaged, and that experienced staff could leave for better-paid roles elsewhere in the public sector.
A spokesperson for MOPAC said budgets remain under significant pressure and that the pay offer reflects financial constraints. They said the organisation values its staff and remains committed to constructive dialogue with union representatives.
Further talks are expected in the coming weeks, but no agreement has yet been reached, raising the prospect of continued disruption if the dispute is not resolved.