Staff at the National Coal Mining Museum for England have won a pay deal worth 7 per cent over two years.
Chris Jenkinson, a regional officer for Unison, the union that represents staff at the museum, said the deal was a compromise on both sides.
"It falls short of what we were claiming, but we recommended the deal to members and they accepted it three to one," he said. "We are satisfied with the outcome of the negotiations."
Unison members at the museum had taken three days of strike action in May and June to press for a 4.2 per cent pay rise. The strikes closed the museum over a bank holiday weekend, causing the loss of an estimated 3,500 visitors.
The deal represents a 3 per cent pay rise for each of the two years, as well more days' leave for some staff. Jenkinson said this means that all staff would have at least 25 days' annual leave.
Museum director Margaret Faull said the deal had been approved by the Science Museum, which administrates the coal mining museum's funding, and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS).
She said the deal went through partly on the basis that staff at the museum had received lower pay settlements than other national museums in previous years and partly because they wanted to move people up the pay scale.
"We are relieved that the pay dispute has now been resolved and industrial action has ceased, as this was having an unfortunate effect on the museum's visitors and the activities that the museum could carry out," said Faull. "The two-year agreement will give stability to the museum."
A DCMS statement said the museum was not a non-departmental public body and therefore there was no formal requirement for the museum to follow Treasury pay guidance. But it added that the museum had observed the general constraints on public sector pay.
Several national museums have been involved in pay disputes this year including the National Gallery, British Museum and the National Museum of Science and Industry Group, with Prospect members at the National Gallery and the British Museum currently working to rule.
Museums across Scotland were closed by strike action last month as members from three unions took action against a 2.5 per cent pay offer.
Chris Jenkinson, a regional officer for Unison, the union that represents staff at the museum, said the deal was a compromise on both sides.
"It falls short of what we were claiming, but we recommended the deal to members and they accepted it three to one," he said. "We are satisfied with the outcome of the negotiations."
Unison members at the museum had taken three days of strike action in May and June to press for a 4.2 per cent pay rise. The strikes closed the museum over a bank holiday weekend, causing the loss of an estimated 3,500 visitors.
The deal represents a 3 per cent pay rise for each of the two years, as well more days' leave for some staff. Jenkinson said this means that all staff would have at least 25 days' annual leave.
Museum director Margaret Faull said the deal had been approved by the Science Museum, which administrates the coal mining museum's funding, and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS).
She said the deal went through partly on the basis that staff at the museum had received lower pay settlements than other national museums in previous years and partly because they wanted to move people up the pay scale.
"We are relieved that the pay dispute has now been resolved and industrial action has ceased, as this was having an unfortunate effect on the museum's visitors and the activities that the museum could carry out," said Faull. "The two-year agreement will give stability to the museum."
A DCMS statement said the museum was not a non-departmental public body and therefore there was no formal requirement for the museum to follow Treasury pay guidance. But it added that the museum had observed the general constraints on public sector pay.
Several national museums have been involved in pay disputes this year including the National Gallery, British Museum and the National Museum of Science and Industry Group, with Prospect members at the National Gallery and the British Museum currently working to rule.
Museums across Scotland were closed by strike action last month as members from three unions took action against a 2.5 per cent pay offer.
