A number of sites at Amgueddfa Cymru – National Museum Wales (NMW) were partially closed last weekend as members of the Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS) began a series of strikes over weekend pay.
The ongoing dispute, which began in 2014 and centres around NMW’s proposal to remove premium payments for weekend working, will see strike action every weekend until 1 May across NMW’s sites.
A mediated agreement between the museum and the trade union brokered by the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (Acas) in December fell apart after an indicative vote - an informal vote at museum workplaces - of PCS members saw them opt to continue campaigning for an improved offer.
A spokeswoman for NMW said the trade union is refusing to honour a commitment to put the mediated proposals to an official ballot of its members rather than an indicative vote leaving the museum with no choice but to consult staff affected by the proposals on an individual basis.
The consultation began on 4 April, with a final decision by the senior management team expected by the end of July.
The trade union says it remains committed to resolving the dispute through negotiations but the museum management has walked away and is now imposing the changes on staff.
NMW's latest offer is to provide premium payments for bank holiday working but these payments will no longer be pensionable; a non-pensionable payment, worth two years of allowances, would be paid either as a lump sum or in increments over a two-year period. Staff on the lowest grades would receive a 4% increase in basic pay.
According to PCS the premium payments typically make up around 15% of the take-home pay of the front-of-house staff who receive them.
The strikes will take place across NMW’s sites on 16 and 17 April; 23 and 24 April; 30 April and 1 May.
The ongoing dispute, which began in 2014 and centres around NMW’s proposal to remove premium payments for weekend working, will see strike action every weekend until 1 May across NMW’s sites.
A mediated agreement between the museum and the trade union brokered by the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (Acas) in December fell apart after an indicative vote - an informal vote at museum workplaces - of PCS members saw them opt to continue campaigning for an improved offer.
A spokeswoman for NMW said the trade union is refusing to honour a commitment to put the mediated proposals to an official ballot of its members rather than an indicative vote leaving the museum with no choice but to consult staff affected by the proposals on an individual basis.
The consultation began on 4 April, with a final decision by the senior management team expected by the end of July.
The trade union says it remains committed to resolving the dispute through negotiations but the museum management has walked away and is now imposing the changes on staff.
NMW's latest offer is to provide premium payments for bank holiday working but these payments will no longer be pensionable; a non-pensionable payment, worth two years of allowances, would be paid either as a lump sum or in increments over a two-year period. Staff on the lowest grades would receive a 4% increase in basic pay.
According to PCS the premium payments typically make up around 15% of the take-home pay of the front-of-house staff who receive them.
The strikes will take place across NMW’s sites on 16 and 17 April; 23 and 24 April; 30 April and 1 May.
