The past week has been far from proud for employers at the UK’s major galleries and museums. Fortunately, however, the Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS) has been on hand to stand up for the workers.

The union is balloting workers at the V&A Museum over potential strike action relating to pay, conditions and dignity at work. However, museum director, Tristram Hunt, has refused to come to the negotiating table, leaving workers feeling “completely disrespected”.

Meanwhile, staff at the National Gallery in London have raised concerns over racially divided break facilities. Whilst the majority-white gallery staff enjoy an award-winning ‘accommodation hub’, the predominantly Black and Asian security staff are relegated to airless basement rooms.

The news comes whilst PCS members at the National Galleries of Scotland (NGS) are in the middle of a four-day strike over detrimental changes to working practices. The industrial action coincides with the Edinburgh Fringe festival, leaving a black mark on what would otherwise be a calendar highlight for culture in the city.

Workers struggling during UK heatwaves

PCS members at the V&A are demanding heat mitigation measures to ease their work during record high temperatures. These include a policy to close public-facing areas at 30 degrees, easy access to adequate drinking water and additional measures for back-of-house staff.

Alongside these, their union has also demanded increased pay on bank holidays and a credible offer on staff pay. Thus far in the negotiations, V&A’s  management has refused to become a Real Living Wage accredited employer.

Balloting over potential strike action will continue until 20 August. However, adding insult to injury, V&A’s Hunt has refused to come to the negotiating table. PCS invited him to attend talks alongside ACAS (the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service) in order to reach an agreement.

As such, PCS and another union, Prospect, have committed to cooperate on industrial action in the area to “increase the chances of a swift positive result”.

PCS general secretary Fran Heathcote said it was a “national scandal” that the V&A isn’t a Real Living Wage employer.

She said:

Our members at the V&A feel completely disrespected by V&A management. They work hard to deliver a service – and when the director refuses to meet with workers it shows why they are voting for industrial action.

PCS has asked for the public to sign its online petition to pressure both Hunt and Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy to meet the workers’ demands.

Meanwhile at the National Gallery…

In a similar pattern, management at the National Gallery, London have ignored staff’s repeated concerns over racially divided break facilities at the historic institution. PCS first wrote to the employer more than 40 days ago, on 1 July, but has received no reply.

Gallery director, Gabriele Finaldi, has ignored PCS members’ complaints. These centre on the fact that outsourced CIS Security staff — most of whom are Black or Asian — have to duck under pipes to take their breaks in an unventilated, windowless basement which is “dingy, dirty, and dark”.

The story made headlines at the beginning of August when the Guardianpublished it under the headline:

National Gallery security staff segregated like ‘second-class citizens’, curator claims

The article quoted an anonymous curator, who said:

There’s this beautiful hub area. You’ve got all the in-house, largely white staff in there. This has got potentially divisive for the gallery in the sense that the poor facilities in a basement area are used by black and Asian security staff.

On 7 August, PCS reported that Finaldi has also refused to engage in discussions on its failure to provide security staff with the same backpay as their gallery colleagues.

An anonymous worker stated:

It says it all that the National Gallery director has not even seen fit to respond to PCS about these serious concerns. Even gallery staff are approaching us and telling us that what is going on is a scandal. Burying their head in the sand isn’t going to help.

PCS is also taking the National Gallery to court over an unlawful inducement claim.

National Galleries of Scotland

Last but not least, PCS members at the NGS areundertaking strike action over the employer’s failure to consult on changes to the gallery attendants’ staffing model.

The union explained:

Management have imposed detrimental changes impacting on both staff wellbeing and the quality of the visitor experience. These changes can make it harder for staff to take breaks, present difficulties in honouring reasonable adjustments for staff with disabilities, and potential challenges for reps accessing facilities time in affected roles. There is also the potential for room and exhibition closures due to short staffing.

The first day of the strike was 8 August, following a rally on the Edinburgh Mound. The next three days will take place on 12, 16 and 20 August between 8am and 11am.

Workers will also take action short of a strike, including working to rule and refusing to wear NGS uniforms.

The industrial action coincides with Edinburgh Festival Fringe, which runs from 7-31 August, and forms what would usually be a highlight of Scotland’s cultural calendar.

Our solidarity goes out to the striking workers and the unions representing them.

Featured image via Museum Next

By Grace

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