Staff at the National Gallery in London start a five-day strike today. The industrial action follows a vote by members of the Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS) that saw 92% vote in favour of striking from a turn out of 62%.
The walkout continues to Saturday 7 February and is in protest at National Gallery plans to privatise the jobs of 400 of its 600 staff, including invigilators and other front of house staff.
The private security firm CIS has already been contracted to provide staff for the Sainsbury wing of the gallery, and was also brought in last year to work on the blockbuster Rembrandt show.
The strike action is the latest in a wave of protests by National Gallery staff against the proposals, which were originally announced in July 2014. On Thursday there will be a rally in Trafalgar Square at 12.30pm followed by a march to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport to hand in a petition, which has attracted over 38,000 signatures.
‘Modernisation’ programme
A statement about the strike action posted on the National Gallery website said: “The National Gallery is undertaking a programme to modernise Gallery services and improve our public welcome, we are therefore disappointed that the PCS is planning to take strike action from 3 to 7 February 2015.
We are determined to ensure that as many people as possible continue to enjoy their visit during the strike and will keep as many rooms open as possible.”
The statement added that the gallery, which attracts over six million visitors a year, expects to stay open throughout the strike, but that all planned education events had been rescheduled or cancelled. Visitors are urged to check the gallery’s website for updates.
PCS general secretary Mark Serwotka said: “This five-day walkout will put the National Gallery in the spotlight for all the wrong reasons.
“The sell-off plan is reckless and risks damaging the worldwide reputation of what is one of the UK’s greatest cultural assets, and we are determined to stop it.”
National Gallery director Nicholas Penny has defended the proposed changes as essential due to a decrease in government funding to the gallery.
“If the gallery is to continue to thrive as a public entity with reduced public money, change is essential,” he said. “There is no option that allows everything to stay the same.”
More on a-n.co.uk:
Protests against National Gallery staff plans continue
National Gallery staff organise exhibition in protest at privatisation
