National Coal Mining Museum closes as workers go on strike over pay

Members of the Unison union held a picket at the Overton attraction today (Wednesday) as officials said the museum's pay offer was half the rate of inflation.

Unison said members had “no choice” but to strike and the action would run until Sunday, October 30.

The union's Wakefield branch secretary Sam Greenwood said 94.4 per cent of members, on a turnout of 87.8 per cent, voted in favour of action.

He said: “Last week we attended what we believed would be pay negotiations with the employer but museum representatives merely restated that pay offer that had previously been made and stated they were not prepared to improve upon it.

"The museum is blaming a ‘pay cap’ that they state the Department for Culture, Media and Sport has imposed upon them but they have provided Unison with no evidence of this.

"Inflation is currently at 10 per cent and the museum’s offer is less than half of that.

"That means our members will struggle to cope with the cost of living crisis and some already rely on in-work benefits and wage supplements because their pay is so low.

"Unison has conducted a statutory industrial action ballot and 94.4 per cent of members voted for strike action on an 87.7 per cent turnout.

"Members don’t want to go on strike but the museum is leaving them with no choice.”

The cash was to fund innovative programmes for Wakefield families as well as people who have traditionally been less involved in art and culture.

A spokeswoman for the NCM said: The museum, a charity, cares about the welfare of its staff and volunteers and has offered the staff a pay rise which equates to 6.8 per cent for the lowest paid staff.

"We value the contribution of our people enormously and the sum of the proposal takes us to the maximum allowed within the Government Pay Remit.

"Even at this late hour we still hope that this situation can be resolved, particularly as the strike is timed for school holidays which will deny our visitors, many of them children, the chance to hear the story of mining and understand the contribution generations of miners made to our nation.”