Pay Campaign 2025/2026
Our campaign for a better deal for staff in the 2025/2026 budget
Every year the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority set the increase to MP’s staffing budget.
Ahead of their decision on the 2025/2026 budget, the Unite Parliamentary Staff Branch submitted their own proposal to IPSA:
After years of under-inflation pay rises, we proposed a 15.6% pay rise - restoring pay to 2021 levels, and also accounting for target inflation of 2% for 2025.
We were incredibly disappointed when IPSA published their plans to only increase MP staff budgets by 3%. In an informal ballot of our members, over 90% rejected the uplift.
IPSA indicated to MPs that there were legitimate reasons to opt out of giving staff the 3% pay uplift, including for staff on probation or in dispute. We raised concerns that this deviated from previous agreements and from the principle that MP’s staff should be treated the same as other Parliamentary staff, but IPSA refused to change their approach.
Along with GMB (Parliament’s other main union) we then wrote to IPSA; the Leader of the House; the chairs and chief whips of every party asking them to write to their MPs saying they expect that they will implement the 3% uplift in full for all staff.
Some MP offices couldn’t implement even the 3% pay uplift
Our calculations showed that implementing the 3% uplift for every staff member wouldn’t be possible for MPs who are already spending close to the maximum staff budget, or who employ a higher number of part-time staff.
We contacted all MP offices to check they’d be able to implement the full 3% - several responded saying they wouldn’t. The branch raised this in discussions and in writing to IPSA, and asked to see their calculations. IPSA unfortunately refused to provide their calculations, only stating that they were aware that some offices would not be able to implement the promised 3% for all staff, but declined to propose a solution.
We ran a huge leafleting and postering campaign in Parliament about the pay campaign, hitting communal staff areas across all buildings on the estate. Thanks to all volunteers!
It’s more important than ever for MP staff to join their unions and demand better next year.