Workers are to continue to strike at National Museums Liverpool venues next month, it has been announced, in an ongoing dispute over pay.
Union members who work at the organisation’s museums and galleries will walk out again on eleven weekends and half-term week, from May until July 2024.
The new plans were revealed by the PCS Union in the same week that its members returned to work after 56 days of consecutive industrial action, thought to be the longest in the union’s history.
The new strikes coincide with the planned opening of new exhibitions at World Museum and at the Walker Art Gallery, as well as the half term period.
A conclusion to the disagreement over pay is yet to be found. The union claims National Museums Liverpool (NML) is the only employer out of over 200 covered by the civil service pay not to pay a £1,500 cost-of-living payment.
The organisation’s director Laura Pye says that payment was promised only to civil servants, and because its employees are not civil servants they were not in the scope of the pay.
The union rejected the offer of a £750 one-off on-consolidated payment and perks including an increase in annual leave.
Pye said: “We hope that the dispute can be resolved in the near future for both the enjoyment of our visitors and the people that give National Museums Liverpool its heart – our colleagues.”
The union’s TWitter/X account wrote: “We love our museums and galleries full of life and activity, but whilst so many staff struggle to survive on poverty wages, we’ll remain on strike.”
The 30 new strike dates in full are: 4, 5 and 6 May, 11 and 12 May, 18 and 19 May, 25 May to 2 June, 8 and 9 June, 15 and 16 June, 22 and 23 June, 29 and 30 June, 6 and 7 July, 13 and 14 July and 20 and 21 July.
National Museums Liverpool has been contacted for comment.