Royal Museum Greenwich workers to strike again

Visitors and sales assistants to walk out on 17 February

Royal Museums Greenwich (RMG) workers will strike on 17 February due to a lack of progress on talks about contractual changes imposed last year.

It is the second time visitor and sales assistants working at the National Maritime Museum and Royal Observatory Greenwich have resorted to strike action.

Prospect members walked out on New Year’s Day after the museum imposed changes on their terms and conditions. The changes included:  breaks becoming shorter and unpaid and the hours that shifts fall within becoming wider.

The accumulative effect of the changes means that staff will be working an extra three weeks a year without proper compensation.

Prospect is seeking a resolution to the dispute with management and has requested a meeting with the museum’s director.

Caroline Hemmington, Prospect negotiations officer, said: “This strike is not about stopping people from going to the museum, but to highlight how detrimental these changes have been on the staff affected.

“Members have decided to take a second day of strike action to demonstrate to RMG management how significantly these changes are felt on a day to day basis.

“Prospect is working towards finding a resolution for our members and the best way to do this is by continuing to engage in constructive discussions with management.”