Strike action at national museums looks more certain after staff at the British Museum and National Gallery voted to reject 2007-08 pay offers.
It follows a vote by staff at the National Museum of Science and Industry group to reject its pay offer (Museums Journal May 2008, p5)
Employees at the British Museum and National Gallery were balloted by the Prospect and PCS unions in April. The ballot asked staff to accept or reject the offer, and if they rejected it, to indicate whether they were prepared to strike. At the National Gallery, 96 per cent of Prospect members rejected the offer.
British Museum (BM) staff rejected their pay proposal, which Prospect said was 1.24 percentage points below the 2007-08 inflation rate. Prospect national secretary Alan Leighton said not only was the BM's offer to staff a year late, but it had also imposed unagreed payments.
"The museum and government must share responsibility for the mess," said Leighton. "The Treasury has unreasonably restricted the amount the museum could spend on pay in 2007, but the museum was not quick or forceful enough in pursuing its case. The museum must now persuade the Treasury to review the situation for 2007 and be more generous in 2008."
BM deputy director Andrew Burnett said: "The Department for Culture, Media and Sport knows we are unhappy with this outcome, but we decided to impose the settlement to ensure that money was forthcoming."
It follows a vote by staff at the National Museum of Science and Industry group to reject its pay offer (Museums Journal May 2008, p5)
Employees at the British Museum and National Gallery were balloted by the Prospect and PCS unions in April. The ballot asked staff to accept or reject the offer, and if they rejected it, to indicate whether they were prepared to strike. At the National Gallery, 96 per cent of Prospect members rejected the offer.
British Museum (BM) staff rejected their pay proposal, which Prospect said was 1.24 percentage points below the 2007-08 inflation rate. Prospect national secretary Alan Leighton said not only was the BM's offer to staff a year late, but it had also imposed unagreed payments.
"The museum and government must share responsibility for the mess," said Leighton. "The Treasury has unreasonably restricted the amount the museum could spend on pay in 2007, but the museum was not quick or forceful enough in pursuing its case. The museum must now persuade the Treasury to review the situation for 2007 and be more generous in 2008."
BM deputy director Andrew Burnett said: "The Department for Culture, Media and Sport knows we are unhappy with this outcome, but we decided to impose the settlement to ensure that money was forthcoming."
