MOPAC staff to strike over real‑terms pay cuts

PCS members at the Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime (MOPAC) will take three days of strike action on 24, 25 and 26 February in an escalating dispute over an imposed 2% pay award.

The below-inflation settlement for 2025–26 is the lowest across the Greater London Authority (GLA) family and significantly below awards given to comparable bodies.

While MOPAC staff were handed 2%, other GLA organisations received higher increases:

  • Metropolitan Police – 4.2%
  • London Assembly staff – 3.2%
  • GLA City Hall core staff – 2.5%
The union says this has created a “two-tier pay system” within the GLA, leaving MOPAC staff at the bottom despite their central role in policing oversight and public safety.
 
MOPAC staff play a central role in:
 
  • Scrutinising the Metropolitan Police
  • Delivering Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) policy
  • Commissioning victim services
  • Shaping community safety strategy and,
  • Ensuring democratic, transparent policing in London
London’s falling crime rate in recent years has not happened by accident. It reflects the work of dedicated MOPAC staff whose oversight, scrutiny and delivery of safety strategies have been instrumental in driving improvements across the capital.
 
We argue that fair pay for these workers is not just a workforce issue, it’s a public safety issue. Many staff report spending half their salary on rent while working in unheated buildings, wrapped in coats and blankets. This is simply unacceptable.
 
After months of negotiations, including the imposition of the 2% award and an unsubstantiated proposal for a capped multi-year deal, members returned a 90% mandate for strike action (see notes for details).
 
PCS general secretary Fran Heathcote said:
 
"Our members are passionate about their jobs and they take seriously the responsibility they hold in ensuring the Met is properly scrutinised and held to account.
 
"No one wants safer streets in London more than the workers who dedicate themselves to achieving them, but they need to feel valued and have their own financial security. Undervaluing our members undermines the very systems designed to keep Londoners safe. Strike action is always a last resort, but our members are prepared to stand strong for the fair pay they deserve.”
 
ENDS
 
Notes to Editors
 
Media Information: [email protected] / 07925433496
 
Rally time and location: Outside City Hall and at Kamal Chunchie Way from 8:30–10:30am on all three strike days.
The action coincides with key meetings including the London Policing Board, the Police and Crime Committee and Mayor’s Question Time.
 
Interviews: MOPAC Reps will be available for interviews at the picket lines. Please contact the press office for more information.
 
Member voices: Anonymous member testimonies available upon request.
 
Timeline of Key Dispute Events: April 2025: Employer offers 1.5% despite acknowledging a 2% funding envelope. 
October 2025: MOPAC imposes 2%. 
Nov–Dec 2025: Members take targeted strike action.
22 January 2026: Management raises the possibility of a multi-year deal capped at 3% (no detail provided).