News

National Trust announce 1,200 redundancies – Prospect will support members

29 July 2020

Prospect will work to minimise redundancies at the National Trust and ensure staff are treated fairly, the union has said as the Trust have announced that they are looking at 1,200 redundancies as a result of the pandemic.

National Trust sign
The union also called for money from the government’s Cultural Renewal Fund, announced earlier this month, to be fast-tracked to the Trust to minimise redundancies.

It is understood that there are currently no plans to close entire properties, although some facilities such as cafes may close.

Prospect general secretary Mike Clancy said:

“This is a big programme of layoffs and everyone working at National Trust will be worried about their futures. As the union for National Trust workers Prospect’s first priorities will be minimising the total number of redundancies, maximising voluntary redundancy and getting as good a deal as possible for everyone who loses their job.  We are committed to ensuring our members are treated fairly in this process.

“At the moment there are no plans for National Trust to close whole properties but they are shutting ‘unprofitable’ shops and cafes and the worry is that it’s only a matter of time.  Once jobs are lost and assets are closed it is very hard to recover them. Access to our cultural heritage should be an essential part of society’s recovery from the pandemic, and the government should be doing everything it can to protect it.

“Three weeks after announcing a rescue package for arts, culture and heritage the government has finally given some detail on how organisations can apply for that funding but it may be too little too late for hundreds of workers at National Trust. Prospect will be pressing the government to ensure this funding actually gets to where it’s needed in a timely manner. If it’s handled properly it could prevent many of these redundancies but it will require a laser-like focus from those delivering the package – something that has been sadly lacking to date.”

Public express sadness at National Trust redundancies