Some of London's biggest West End shows could be forced to close temporarily after members of the performing arts union Equity voted overwhelmingly in favour of moving towards strike action. In an indicative ballot, 98% of members backed potential industrial action over pay and working conditions, raising the prospect of a 'summer of turbulence' for the capital's theatre scene.
The union, which represents around 1,000 performers and stage managers across 44 productions, has been in negotiations with the Society of London Theatre (Solt) since December 2025. The two sides are at an impasse over pay, holiday entitlement and incapacity pay for injuries sustained during performances. Equity is proposing a 7% annual pay increase for the next three years, along with improved holiday and injury compensation.
Equity general secretary Paul W Fleming said: 'The West End has had a very successful three years. Our members want to share in that success and they’re tired of antiquated working conditions. They really have snapped.' He added that industrial action would not shut down the entire West End, but would target big weekend shows that are economic drivers for producers.
If no agreement is reached when the two sides meet on 10 June, Equity could ballot its members on whether to take part in strikes, which would affect Saturday matinees and evening performances. Fleming warned: 'If Solt doesn’t come back with a proposal that implements the proposal we’ve just balloted our members on, then we will be balloting for industrial action.'
A Solt spokesperson said: 'Constructive, good faith discussions are ongoing, and we have already made meaningful progress together in a number of areas. We look forward to our upcoming meeting with the Equity team and remain committed to the jointly agreed process, and to continued productive discussions to reach a fair, sustainable minimum terms agreement as soon as possible.'
