A strike by more than 40 workers at the National Coal Mining Museum in Wakefield has been extended by a further four weeks, due to the employer’s continued refusal to negotiate.
The workers, including mine guides who were part of the year-long miners’ strike 40 years ago, first walked out in August in a dispute over pay.
The strike, which was due to end of Sunday 12 October, is now scheduled to run until Sunday 9 November.
Since the walkout began, local politicians from across the political spectrum have called on the museum’s chief executive and board of trustees to return to the table and resolve the dispute.
This culminated in Wakefield Council voting last week to withhold funding for the museum until the dispute is resolved.
But senior figures at the museum have still failed to come up with an acceptable offer.
UNISON says the chief executive has been more interested in planning alternative Christmas activities than returning to negotiations and resolving the dispute so the usual celebrations can take place.
In previous years, the mine guides have helped stage a special “Santa Underground” event, which is hosted 140m below ground in the mine. Resolving the dispute would allow such an event to take place again this year.
UNISON says the chief executive’s continued refusal to come up with an acceptable offer shows a lack of respect, not only for the striking workers, but also for the mining heritage the museum is supposed to champion.
UNISON Yorkshire and Humberside regional organiser Rianne Hooley said: “Staff don’t want to be standing on a picket line for months on end, but until the museum and its chief executive get back round the table with an acceptable offer, they’ve no other option.
“Local councillors are losing faith in the chief executive who’s shown no interest in returning to talks.
“A slap-dash land train was put on during summer holidays while staff were striking, and now plans are being made for Christmas. If she genuinely intended to resolve the dispute, that wouldn’t be necessary.”
Notes:
– More than 40 workers from the museum, including ex-miners, have been on strike in a dispute over pay since Wednesday 20 August. It was due to finish in mid-September and was originally extended until Sunday 12 October. It is now scheduled to run until Sunday 9 November.
– In a meeting through arbitration body Acas less than a week before the strike was due to start, museum management made an offer of 80p an hour or 5% for all workers, whichever is the greater, despite a previous pledge to recommend the museum’s board of trustees accept £1 an hour or 5%.
– The national minimum wage for workers aged 21 and over in the UK is £12.21, as of 1 April 2025. Mine guides typically earn around £12.86 an hour, and many staff are on £12.60 per hour.
One thought on “Coal mining museum strike extended by four more weeks”
Comments are closed.