You are:

National gallery walk out again

23 February 2010

The vast majority of the National Gallery's rooms will be closed to the public this lunchtime (23 Feb) and tomorrow's opening day of the Delaroche and Lady Jane Grey exhibition could be disrupted, as security staff walk out again in a row over low pay, PCS warned today.

Today’s two hour walkout between 11am and 1pm and tomorrow’s, taking place between 11am and 12 noon and 5pm and 6pm, are the latest in a series of walkouts by PCS members who are angry over the imposition of a pay award which leaves most warders earning as little as £7 per hour.

Last Tuesday’s two hour walkout resulted in the closure of 53 of the 66 gallery rooms and the cancellation of the 11.30am tour of the gallery.

The pay award means that staff who protect artworks by Canaletto, Monet, Turner and Van Gogh, will earn a basic salary which is 60 pence less than Boris Johnson’s recommended London living wage of £7.60 per hour. With the majority of warders on less than £15,000 a year, most have to rely on overtime and weekend working to top up their basic pay.

Commenting, Mark Serwotka, general secretary for PCS, said: "We had hoped that we could avoid further disruption through talks with the National Gallery, but the gallery’s continued inability to seriously address the issue of low pay and a living wage has left loyal staff feeling angry.

"The people who mind the nation’s masterpieces are sick and tired of having to work 50 to 60 hours a week and take second jobs to scrape together enough to pay for housing costs, bills and food. It’s time that the National Gallery recognised that loyal staff deserve a London living wage."
 

View all News