Press Releases
Press Statement: Strike action at Amgueddfa Cymru – National Museum Wales museums
Date:
2016-03-24
“Amgueddfa Cymru – National Museum Wales regrets that a number of Wales’ national museums will be affected by industrial action by the Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS) during the Easter weekend (25 – 28 March 2016).
“The action by PCS comes as Amgueddfa Cymru tries to bring the dispute over weekend working allowances to a conclusion. Last week, the Museum announced it would start consulting with those affected by planned changes to weekend working allowances (Premium Payments), on an individual basis. The process is due to start on 4 April, unless an agreement can be reached before then.
“Details of how the strike action will affect Wales’ national museums are as follows:
Friday 25 March Big Pit National Coal Museum will open at 1pm but with no underground tours.
Saturday 26 March National Wool Museum closed.
National Waterfront Museum’s galleries closed.
Sunday 27 March St Fagans National History Museum’s grounds, shops and café will be open but some historic buildings may be closed.
National Slate Museum closed.
Monday 28 March National Museum Cardiff will be open including the shop, restaurant and coffee shop. Treasures: Adventures in Archaeology and the art galleries will be closed on this day.
Big Pit National Coal Museum will open at 1pm but with no underground tours.
The National Roman Legion Museum will be open as usual over the weekend.
“The Museum is urging all our visitors to check its website for the latest information before travelling to the Museums (www.museumwales.ac.uk).
“Facing a 4.7% cut in its Grant in Aid from the Welsh Government on top of a 25% reduction in real terms over the last five years, Amgueddfa Cymru cannot continue to pay Premium Payments in their current form, which now cost the Museum around £750k a year.
“The consultation process with its recognised trade unions began in 2014, and a year later Prospect Union accepted the changes as the best that could be received via negotiation. PCS rejected the offer which led to two rounds of conciliation meetings between Amgueddfa Cymru and the trade union via ACAS. In December 2015, an agreement was reached and signed by both PCS and Amgueddfa Cymru.
“However, Amgueddfa Cymru was told earlier this month that PCS would not ballot its members on the Museum’s proposal regarding the future of the weekend working allowances, despite this being a core part of the agreement reached through ACAS. In addition, the trade union informed Amgueddfa Cymru that PCS members at Big Pit would be restarting industrial action short of a strike from 21 March to 30 April 2016, again breaking the terms of the agreement.
“Resolving this dispute is now a matter of urgency for Amgueddfa Cymru, due to the pressures of a reduced budget. Therefore, it has no choice but to proceed to individual consultation. Only yesterday it launched a Voluntary Redundancy Scheme, which is open to all staff across the organisation.
“Amgueddfa Cymru is doing its utmost to protect staff and visitors as far as possible from the effects of the cuts, but difficult decisions have to be made to balance the books and ensure the organisation remains sustainable into the future.”
Ends
For further information, please contact:
AMGUEDDFA CYMRU
Catrin Taylor
029 2057 3185
07920 027067