HomeLocalCity museum and art gallery to close due to industrial action

City museum and art gallery to close due to industrial action

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A museum is closing tomorrow due to industrial action.

Brighton Museum and Art Gallery will be shut on Wednesday, April 15, due to GMB strikes.

It will reopen on Thursday, April 16, Brighton Museums said.

The Royal Pavilion will remain open.

GMB union members previously took strike action at the Brighton Pavilion and Museums Trust on April 4 in protest against proposed cuts to their terms and conditions.

The union said Brighton Pavilion and Museums Trust management told staff to sign new contracts by April 1.

Under previous contracts, workers had the same contract terms as council workers, including access to pay rises, the Local Government Pension Scheme and benefits such as holiday allowance, parental leave and sick pay.

GMB said the new contracts would threaten these benefits.

A spokesman for the trust previously said the proposals were “driven by significant financial pressures facing the trust, including reduced public funding, rising costs and visitor income that has not yet returned to pre-pandemic levels”.

The trust said it was “committed” to continuing dialogue with union representatives and hoped a resolution could still be reached.

It added that staff would “continue to have access to important benefits such as holiday, parental leave, sick pay and pay rises” under the new contracts, with only “minimal” changes made.

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A post shared on Brighton Museums’ Facebook page reads: “Brighton Museum and Art Gallery will be closed on Wednesday, April 15, due to industrial action.

“We’ll reopen as usual on Thursday, April 16, and we look forward to welcoming you back then.

“The Royal Pavilion will remain open as normal on Wednesday from 9.30am.

“Thank you for your understanding.”

Declan MacIntyre, GMB Regional Organiser, said: “Our members have been clear that they will not sign away their contractual rights to sick pay, holiday pay and nationally agreed pay rises.

“Trust management now need to stop these ill thought out plans and agree to look at other cost saving measures, if indeed they are required.

“Our message to the trustees is that if they can’t run the buildings without taking money out of our members’ pockets, the contract needs to return to Brighton and Hove City Council.

“The buildings and collections need to be prioritised over everything and our members, properly remunerated and taken care of, are best placed to do this.”

Hedley Swain, CEO at Brighton and Hove Museums, said: “Under the new contracts, staff will continue to have access to important benefits such as holiday, parental leave, sick pay and pay rises. There are changes to these benefits but they are minimal. Pensions remain unchanged.

“We are open to dialogue and it is disappointing that GMB have not yet offered to engage in any constructive discussions.

“Our priority is to protect jobs, keep all sites open and ensure the long-term sustainability of Brighton and Hove’s historic buildings, so they can continue to be enjoyed for many years to come.

“Like many museums across the country, we are experiencing significant rising costs on top of cuts to our public funding. The changes to staff contracts are in response to these challenges and we believe are proportionate.

“We recognise this is an unsettling time for staff and visitors, and we are continuing to work closely with union representatives to find a constructive way forward. Any changes to opening times due to industrial action will be advertised through our website.”

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