Responding to British Library inaccuracy claims

Most recently, for example, the British Library alleged that “the PCS statement contains inaccuracies, in particular the reference to a £5,000 bonus for senior leaders, which is not the case.”

It’s not every day that an employer accuses PCS of lying. We are therefore including references to each of the points mentioned in our press release of Tuesday, 14 October:

Directors’ bonuses 

On Thursday, 12 June, the British Library began consultation with trade unions over a new target operating model (TOM) for the senior leadership team, which included proposed changes to the senior management structure. As part of the consultation, all unions were supplied with documentation including a 33-page briefing pack on the TOM. Page nine of the briefing explicitly stated: “There will be the potential for post holders to receive an annual, non-consolidated (not part of salary or pensionable), performance related pay award of up to £5,000. This is conditional on:

• The post holder being assessed as ‘Exceeding’ in their performance of all PDR objectives for the prior year;
• The Library’s financial position being in surplus; and
• Approval by the Board’s Remuneration Committee (RemCo).”

Following objections from PCS reps about the bonuses, the British Library announced its intentions not to proceed with the bonuses. A document titled “Senior Leadership Structure Final Report” was shared with trade unions on Wednesday 1 October. Section nine of the document concluded:

“Trade union colleagues are also concerned that pay increases seem to favour senior leaders, while staff across the organisation are dissatisfied with their pay levels. Moreover, the original proposals included a bonus, which raised concerns about whether it was right to proceed in this way, given the financial difficulties currently faced by the BL."

Annual bonuses

In a separate incident on Thursday, 19 September, the British Library’s CEO, Rebecca Lawerence, approached a full-time union official to complain about the inaccuracies in our leaflets. She appeared to query the figures PCS provided about senior management salaries. However, all the figures referenced in PCS’s campaigning materials were sourced directly from the British Library’s annual accounts from 2023/2024 and 2024/2025, both of which are readily accessible online. If any inaccuracies exist, they originate from the library’s own reporting.

We understand that the outcome of the British Library ballot may have caused significant concern among senior management. Indeed, a 75% turnout, with 98% voting in favour of strike action is a powerful mandate – one that would be difficult for any employer to ignore. However, PCS would urge the British Library to focus its efforts on addressing the core issue at hand: improving pay for its workforce.