National Museum of Scotland Workers to Strike for Two Days from Boxing Day

Workers at Scotland's national museum are set to strike for two consecutive days, starting from Boxing Day, in a long-running dispute over weekend pay. This marks the third Christmas in a row that workers will go on strike to protest the museum's management decision to withdraw weekend working allowances for newly appointed staff. The Public and Commercial Services (PCS) union is calling for the reintroduction of these allowances, citing a "two-tier workforce" that has been created as a result of the policy change.

Key Takeaways:

• The strike, which is scheduled to take place on December 26 and 27, is a result of a long-running dispute between the PCS union and the National Museum of Scotland's management over weekend pay allowances.
• The dispute centers around the museum's decision to withdraw weekend working allowances for newly appointed staff, creating a "two-tier workforce" with long-serving employees earning an extra allowance for working weekends.
• The PCS union claims that this policy change has caused frustration among staff and has led to the current strike action.
• Scottish Secretary Lynn Henderson has expressed disappointment that talks between the union and the museum's management have broken down, calling for the Cabinet Secretary for Culture, Fiona Hyslop, to intervene and resolve the dispute.
• A museum spokesperson has stated that the strike is likely to cause disruption, but the full extent of the impact is unclear until Saturday.
• Visitors are advised to check the museum's website for up-to-date information on the strike and any potential disruptions.

Statistics:

• The strike is set to take place on two consecutive days, December 26 and 27.
• The PCS union claims that the reintroduction of weekend working allowances would cost the museum an additional £400,000 per year.
• This is the third Christmas in a row that workers at the National Museum of Scotland have gone on strike due to this dispute over weekend pay.
• The dispute centers around the removal of weekend working allowances for newly appointed staff, with long-serving employees continuing to receive these allowances.

Sources:

• [1] Press Association Scotland, 25 December 2022
• [2] "Scotland's national museum workers to strike for two days". The Scotsman, 25 December 2022
• [3] "National Museums Scotland". National Museums Scotland, n.d. (accessed 25 December 2022)

Byline: Lynsey Bews, Press Association Scotland