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Employees at London’s Science Museum have been strike today in a conflict with management over pay.
Workers at the Kensington museum claim they have suffered a 10 per cent real-terms pay cut since 2011 following a series of below-inflation pay rises.
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Union members voted for industrial action earlier this year after rejecting a 1.5 per cent salary increase.
The Science Museum Group, which also owns York’s Railway Museum and the Science and Industry museum in Manchester, has agreed to pay workers the Real Living Wage or London Living Wage from April next year. However, the Prospect Union called on management to speed up the process.
Prospect negotiator Sharon Brown said: “Our members in SMG love their jobs but they cannot carry on with year after year of uncertainty and real terms pay cuts.
“It is clear from the accounts that SMG can afford to pay a reasonable way.
“It’s time for management to sort this out so our members can get on with the jobs they love”.
Today’s industrial action follows a previous strike on 30 August this year.
A Science Museum spokesperson said: “Our pay offer included a 6.9 per cent increase for the lowest paid employees as part of a settlement that saw all employees receive an increase of at least 1.5 per cent.
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“Overall the settlement represents a 2.7 per cent increase in salary costs, which we believe was a reasonable offer, given the challenging overall financial picture.
“Following discussions with Prospect Union, we have committed to reach the Real Living Wage / London Living Wage from 1 April 2020, which will involve a further significant pay rise on top of last year’s increase of 6.9 per cent for colleagues on the lowest salaries.”
Main image credit: Getty
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