Statement from the National Coal Mining Museum

Spokesperson for the National Coal Mining Museum for England said: “We highly value the work of our museum team, including our dedicated museum guides and are deeply saddened at the decision to commence industrial action. We are committed to fair and ethical pay for all our staff.

Despite challenging economic times our staff have been offered a 5% pay rise this year. This is higher than inflation and is significantly higher than the pay award agreed by Unison for the public sector at 3.2%. Looking at last year’s pay rise as well, this makes a cumulative increase of 14% over two years.

As a Charity our Trustees feel this current offer is fair and the counter claim by Unison, which equates to over 8%, for many, as simply unaffordable. It would jeopardise people’s jobs across the organisation and threaten the long-term sustainability of the museum. This counter claim was suggested as part of the negotiation process and was at no point agreed. The only confirmed offer by the Museum was for 5% to all staff, which is still an offer the museum would be happy to agree to.

This offer of 5% has been rejected by Unison, and 28 members out of the 39 who have voted, have done so in favour of industrial action. We know that this is not the majority of our workforce of over 100 people and is largely made up of the museum guides who deliver our underground tours. It is our intention to keep an open dialogue with Unison, with the sincere hope, that this offer along with the many additional benefits included will be accepted to benefit our staff as a whole.

It is extremely disappointing that this strike action appears to be planned for four weeks, coinciding with the last two weeks of the summer holidays and into September. This will impact the experiences of so many children, families, and schools to whom the museum means so much.  Our museum is a vital place for people of all ages to understand more about the important history of coal mining and many have visits booked for months in advance.

Although we deeply regret that strike action will go ahead, we are committed to continuing to deliver an outstanding visitor experience throughout the summer and accommodate school visits as best we can.

Whilst we cannot offer underground tours during proposed strike action the rest of our museum will be open, with lots for families and visitors to experience, with a full programme of activities, performances, music, and entertainment.”

Find out more about how this may affect your visit here