For the second time this year, workers at the British Museum in London plan to go on strike for several days. Visitor services and security personnel in the Public and commercial services union (PCS) have announced their intention to leave work from July 11 to 16.
The planned six-day strike is part of a wider dispute between the government and UK unions representing civil servants over pay, pensions and jobs that has been going on since November. Cultural organizations that are members of the PSC include Historic England, The Wallace Collection, National Museums Scotland, National Museum of Liverpool and National Museums Scotland, which together with the British Museum make up the PCS Culture Group.
In mid-February, museum staff announced a week-long walkout, which disrupted some programming and meant that only visitors with pre-booked tickets could visit the galleries. Staff had also walked out earlier this month as part of a nationwide strike organized by the PCS, which forced the institution to close its doors for the day. Artnet News has contacted the British Museum to ask what the planned strike might mean for programming and visitor access, but has not received a response at press time.
The Public and Commercial Services (PCS) union picks up outside the British Museum in London during a strike in February 2023. Photo by Rasid Necati Aslim/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images.
Earlier this month, the union won a major concession in negotiations. In response to inflation reaching 40-year highs, the government has agreed to pay union members who are not senior managers a one-off payment of £1,500 ($1,880), as reported by the Guardian.
But British Museum staff are on strike because their institution has not agreed to make the recommended payments.
“It is a scandal that even after the government recognized the need for our members to have increased financial support during the crippling cost of living crisis, the British Museum is refusing to pay it,” the secretary said. general of the PCS, Mark Serwotka. statement. “The rebuff from the British Museum is deeply insulting. Our members have said loud and clear that failure to commit to accepting payment will quickly lead to further disruption.
The museum insisted it had “not refused” the payment. Since museums and libraries have independent revenue, they are technically considered “freedom organizations” and do not have to follow government guidelines for salary payments, so lump sum payments are not not mandatory.
Mick Whelan, General Secretary of the Associated Society of Locomotive Engineers and Firemen, speaks during the Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS) picket outside the British Museum in London during a strike in February 2023. Photo by Vuk Valcic/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images.
“We are saddened that PCS is taking this action as we have an open invitation to the three unions we work with, including PCS, to sit down and discuss this year’s wage settlement – including the possibility of a lump sum payment – and are ready to talk at any time,” a spokesperson for the museum told the evening standard.
In response, PCS shared a written message from the museum’s HR manager, Chris Lazenby, who said “BM is unable to make the one-time payment of £1,500 as requested”.
PCS has agreed to attend a July 6 meeting with the museum to negotiate salaries for the 2023/2024 financial year, but will continue the strike unless the museum accepts payments of £1,500.
“In addition to refusing to accept this payment, the museum continues to pay a large proportion of its dedicated hospitality staff salaries which are well below London’s living wage,” Serwotka added. “Members told us directly that they were struggling to pay their bills, could not afford medication for chronic conditions, had used or would use food banks, that they were accumulating credit card debt.
Artnet News asked PCS Culture Group if its other staff at its other member museums had received the lump sum payments, but had no response at press time.
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