Birmingham Museums consults on restructure
Trust looking for £400,000 savings – 20 jobs could go
Birmingham Museums Trust this week launched a consultation on a restructure that could see the loss of 20 posts.
Speaking to Museums Journal, interim director Simon Cane said that the trust had made a commitment to go through a restructure when it was formed 15 months ago and that all staff were now being consulted.
The trust is looking to find approximately £400,000 in savings next year and Cane said that he was confident the job losses would be limited to less the 10% of the trust’s 300 staff.
He said a draft structure had been put to staff earlier this week but that it was not a finished process. An employee forum with staff elected from departments will have chance to shape the final structure and trade unions have been consulted.
“This is a paradigm shift in how we operate. We will not be taking a salami-slicing approach; we are rethinking how we operate as an organisation.”
Birmingham Museums and Art Gallery merged with Thinktank in February 2012.
Cane said part of the reason for the restructure was to eliminate duplication. He cited building services, education and management as areas that could see changes to staffing levels.
A statement from the trust said that the restructure would manage a reduction in funding by reducing operating costs, increasing income streams and improving efficiency.
Cane said that there would be no closures or reductions in opening hours as a result of the restructure.
He added that he thought that staff were “concerned but overwhelmingly optimistic about the future of the organisation”.
The trust is expected to make an announcement about a new director this month with a new chair to be announced in the autumn. Cane was made acting director after the departure of Ann Sumner after only seven months in the job last year.
Speaking to Museums Journal, interim director Simon Cane said that the trust had made a commitment to go through a restructure when it was formed 15 months ago and that all staff were now being consulted.
The trust is looking to find approximately £400,000 in savings next year and Cane said that he was confident the job losses would be limited to less the 10% of the trust’s 300 staff.
He said a draft structure had been put to staff earlier this week but that it was not a finished process. An employee forum with staff elected from departments will have chance to shape the final structure and trade unions have been consulted.
“This is a paradigm shift in how we operate. We will not be taking a salami-slicing approach; we are rethinking how we operate as an organisation.”
Birmingham Museums and Art Gallery merged with Thinktank in February 2012.
Cane said part of the reason for the restructure was to eliminate duplication. He cited building services, education and management as areas that could see changes to staffing levels.
A statement from the trust said that the restructure would manage a reduction in funding by reducing operating costs, increasing income streams and improving efficiency.
Cane said that there would be no closures or reductions in opening hours as a result of the restructure.
He added that he thought that staff were “concerned but overwhelmingly optimistic about the future of the organisation”.
The trust is expected to make an announcement about a new director this month with a new chair to be announced in the autumn. Cane was made acting director after the departure of Ann Sumner after only seven months in the job last year.