British Library workers begin strike ballot over pay
Almost 300 Public and Commercial Services union (PCS) members who work in the British Library are being balloted for strike action from today until 13 October.
Their key demand is for an inflation-proof pay rise with restoration after a second consecutive year of a real-terms pay cut.
They are also demanding payment of alternative working patterns wages for security staff and no future bonuses for bosses while workers struggle to make ends meet.*
Members are angry over a proposed restructure that may put their jobs at risk while the number of directors doubles, with this new layer of directors all potentially being awarded £5,000 in bonuses.
Management’s failure to fully protect staff from the fallout of the recent data breach has only added to their frustrations.
In a recent survey** of British Library members, PCS found that most struggle each month to pay their rent and mortgage payments, with many working second jobs and taking out loans to pay their bills.
A large number of members are also reporting mental and physical health problems caused by endemic low pay.
One member told PCS that the cost of living has made them suicidal: “What's the point of being alive anymore. It’s made me physically in pain and suicidal.”
Another respondent said that they feel like a “robot”: “Eat, sleep work and repeat. No disposable income left for anything, other than the basic essentials.”
PCS general secretary Fran Heathcote said: “The British Library calls itself a national treasure, but its treatment of workers can only be described as a national disgrace.”
“As executives take home giant five-digit bonuses, our members are struggling to survive in one of the most expensive cities in the world.
"And as they tell us they can't afford a fair pay rise due to in part to rising electricity costs, many members are working two jobs to pay their bills.
“All they are asking for is decent pay so they can keep the electricity on, feed their children and afford the basic necessities of life that are often taken for granted by highly paid bosses.”
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