Alistair Hardaker
Image: Tate Modern exterior © Tate
Strike begins day before Turner and Constable exhibition as workers demand above-inflation pay and return of cut benefits.
Union members who work at the Tate Galleries are set to stage a week of strike action in a dispute over pay.
Public and Commercial Services union (PCS) members who work at Tate Galleries have voted to walk out by a margin of 98% on a turnout of 87.72%.
Over 150 members are set to strike from 26 November to 2 December, beginning a day before the opening of the Turner and Constable exhibition at Tate Britain.
The union said workers are demanding an above-inflation pay award and the return of staff benefits that have been cut, including a staff canteen and subsidised meals.
The current offer of between 2% and 3% has been rejected by PCS members in Tate Britain, Tate Modern, Tate Liverpool, and Tate St Ives.
The union said redundancies and increased workloads following a recent restructure – the second in five years – have “reduced staff morale”.
The Union also says Tate withdrew access to the Civil Service Pension Scheme for new starters in 2021, replacing it with a plan that “offers significantly weaker terms”.
PCS general secretary Fran Heathcote said: “With many Tate directors receiving six-figure pay packages and five-figure bonuses while staff are condemned to in-work poverty, it is no wonder we have seen such an overwhelming vote for strike action.
“Our members have rightly rejected another insulting pay offer from senior Tate management, and now stand ready to take strike action that will severely impact gallery operations.”
