Staff demand ‘Cambridge weighting’ as strike action extended

Professional services staff at the University of Cambridge are demanding it introduce a ‘Cambridge weighting’ allowance to address the high cost of living.

Staff at the leading institution have long complained about the price of accommodation in the city, which is often as high as other places such as London and Oxford where staff are paid extra to compensate for the additional costs of working there.

Unite the Union is now arguing that Cambridge should offer additional financial support to assist staff with rising costs as well, and its members are going out on strike in support of the demand.

Staff have held four days of strike action already and have now announced that they will escalate action further throughout May with an additional ten days of strikes, which is expected to hit several of the university’s libraries and museums.

While Cambridge issued a 1.4 per cent pay increase for 2025-2026 in line with the national pay offer, Unite argued this amounted to a “real terms pay cut”. The union noted that the University of Oxford introduced an “Oxford weighting” of £1,500 per year for staff in 2024 in response to the city’s high living and housing costs, which rose to £1,730 in 2025 and was extended to all non-clinical staff.

A spokesperson from the University of Cambridge said that it has introduced “several measures” in response to cost-of-living challenges, adding that it introduced a supplement of 2.5 per cent of basic pay for employees on lower pay grades, raising the minimum starting salary for research assistants and increasing its paid family leave. 

“While we regret that the forthcoming industrial action looks set to go ahead, we remain committed to open and constructive dialogue with Unite around pay and other issues,” they said.

However, Unite argued that the moves made by the university do not go far enough, and “can be removed at any time, due to no firm commitments to retain it permanently”. It also argued that the university reported net assets of £8.26 billion in July 2025 and its endowment fund manages assets in excess of £4.5 billion so it can “afford” to better support staff.

Chris Hardwick, Unite regional officer, said the university “bears full responsibility for the disruption facing students and members of the public”. 

“It can clearly afford to provide Cambridge weighting and ease the intense cost of living strain affecting its staff but is refusing to do so out of sheer greed. This dispute will keep escalating until the university follows Oxford’s lead and introduces additional support for its dedicated and hardworking employees.”

juliette.rowsell@timeshighereducation.com