The Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS) and Amgueddfa Cymru – National Museum Wales (NMW) are close to an agreement over changes to weekend pay for staff.
The two sides met last week to discuss an improved compensation offer, enabled by financial support from the Welsh government, which would see affected staff receive a buy-out payment worth five years’ of allowances in exchange for an end to premium payments for weekend working.
Under the terms of the offer, staff would be required to work no more than one in two weekends, and the museum has given assurances that there would be no compulsory redundancies for affected staff until 1 April 2017.
A PCS spokesman said the talks were “very productive”.
The union is currently consulting its members, but hoping to have a formal ballot by the end of the week. If the ballot were to go ahead it could see the two sides reach an agreement by the end of the month.
Around 200 PCS members, mainly front-of-house staff, have been on strike since 28 April, which has seen the closure or partial closure of several sites including the Big Pit National Coal Mining Museum, the National Slate Museum, the National Waterfront Museum, and the National Wool Museum.
The new offer follows warnings that the strikes were putting NMW’s finances at risk, costing £70,000 a month from the museum’s reserves.
The union resolved a similar dispute with National Museums Scotland in April following a £900,000 contribution from the Scottish government.
Update
20.06.2016
A ballot of PCS members was held on Friday 17 June with results expected on Friday 24 June.
The two sides met last week to discuss an improved compensation offer, enabled by financial support from the Welsh government, which would see affected staff receive a buy-out payment worth five years’ of allowances in exchange for an end to premium payments for weekend working.
Under the terms of the offer, staff would be required to work no more than one in two weekends, and the museum has given assurances that there would be no compulsory redundancies for affected staff until 1 April 2017.
A PCS spokesman said the talks were “very productive”.
The union is currently consulting its members, but hoping to have a formal ballot by the end of the week. If the ballot were to go ahead it could see the two sides reach an agreement by the end of the month.
Around 200 PCS members, mainly front-of-house staff, have been on strike since 28 April, which has seen the closure or partial closure of several sites including the Big Pit National Coal Mining Museum, the National Slate Museum, the National Waterfront Museum, and the National Wool Museum.
The new offer follows warnings that the strikes were putting NMW’s finances at risk, costing £70,000 a month from the museum’s reserves.
The union resolved a similar dispute with National Museums Scotland in April following a £900,000 contribution from the Scottish government.
Update
20.06.2016
A ballot of PCS members was held on Friday 17 June with results expected on Friday 24 June.
