More than 200 specialist staff at the National Museum of Science and Industry (NMSI), including curators and conservators, are expected to take strike action over pay and conditions if union and management cannot agree a new settlement. The NMSI runs sites in London, York, Bradford and Swindon.
Staff were balloted last month by trade union Prospect and voted by nine to one for a series of one-day strikes over what they say is management's failure to award a pay rise that was due in April 2007.
As Museums Journal went to press, Prospect was in negotiations with the NMSI's director, Martin Earwicker, to try to come to an agreement and avert the action.
Emily Boase, Prospect's negotiations officer, said: "We are looking for a decent cost-of-living increase. Does Martin Earwicker expect staff to feel valued and motivated if he is telling them that they are, in effect, currently overpaid?"
Prospect has also expressed concerns at the NMSI's plans to introduce new terms and conditions for staff, which the union worries will bring it in line with those of its trading company, which does not have a civil service pension scheme or a pay grading structure, and has redundancy terms that are not based on the civil service compensation scheme.
There are also rumours that the museum is looking at shedding its status as a non-departmental public body in order to become more commercially focused - a move that would jeopardise its access to grant-in-aid.
Boase added: "Our members do not think this proposal would be in the public interest. They are working for a national museum, not a theme park."
But an NMSI spokesman denied that it was trying to change its status. He added: "While we are disappointed by the result of the Prospect ballot, negotiations are ongoing to reach a resolution as quickly as possible."
Staff were balloted last month by trade union Prospect and voted by nine to one for a series of one-day strikes over what they say is management's failure to award a pay rise that was due in April 2007.
As Museums Journal went to press, Prospect was in negotiations with the NMSI's director, Martin Earwicker, to try to come to an agreement and avert the action.
Emily Boase, Prospect's negotiations officer, said: "We are looking for a decent cost-of-living increase. Does Martin Earwicker expect staff to feel valued and motivated if he is telling them that they are, in effect, currently overpaid?"
Prospect has also expressed concerns at the NMSI's plans to introduce new terms and conditions for staff, which the union worries will bring it in line with those of its trading company, which does not have a civil service pension scheme or a pay grading structure, and has redundancy terms that are not based on the civil service compensation scheme.
There are also rumours that the museum is looking at shedding its status as a non-departmental public body in order to become more commercially focused - a move that would jeopardise its access to grant-in-aid.
Boase added: "Our members do not think this proposal would be in the public interest. They are working for a national museum, not a theme park."
But an NMSI spokesman denied that it was trying to change its status. He added: "While we are disappointed by the result of the Prospect ballot, negotiations are ongoing to reach a resolution as quickly as possible."
