Striking workers at the National Coal Mining Museum have rejected a pay offer that would have left many staff worse off than a proposal they’d previously thrown out.
More than 40 workers have been on a continuous strike at the Wakefield museum since mid-August in a dispute over pay.
UNISON met with the museum’s chief executive Lynn Dunning and local Labour MP Jade Botterill last week in the hope of finding a resolution.
During the meeting, museum managers suggested a £1 an hour rise for ‘craftspeople’ (which the museum defines as fitters and electricians) and 5% for other staff. For many workers, including some attending the meeting, this would work out lower than the 80p an hour increase previously suggested*.
The union received a written offer of the latest proposal earlier this week and striking workers have now formally rejected it.
During last week’s meeting, the chief executive continued to refuse to disclose financial documents that the union says could help to work out an affordable and acceptable offer.
UNISON general secretary Christina McAnea said: “This dispute has already gone on for far too long.
“Museum bosses have spent more on continuing the strike than it would have cost them to give staff a reasonable pay rise.
“Senior managers should stop playing games, do the right thing and come up with a fair deal.”
UNISON Yorkshire and Humberside regional organiser Rianne Hooley said: “Staff are keen to get back to work, but only when a fair pay offer is put forward.
“The latest offer from the museum is actually worse for many of the workers.
“UNISON has repeatedly asked for financial details to help establish what’s affordable, but these have been refused.
“If managers genuinely want to resolve this dispute, they should be transparent with UNISON over what is and isn’t affordable. Otherwise, it looks like they have something to hide.”
Notes:
– In June, UNISON suggested a 5% pay rise or £1 per hour for all staff, whichever was greater. This was in response to an offer from the museum of a £1 per hour increase for mine guides and 5% for everyone else. The museum’s initial offer would have given a bigger pay rise to the male mine guides) than to the women employed elsewhere in the museum. Museum managers were going to put their pay offer to the board of trustees but then withdrew it.
– *In a meeting via conciliation service Acas less than a week before the strike was due to start, museum managers made an offer of 80p an hour or 5% for all workers, whichever was the greater, despite a previous pledge to recommend their own offer.
– UNISON has been forwarded an email sent to a member of the public from the museum’s chair of the board of trustees, Philip Marshall. In the email, he confirmed that “the Trustees agreed last month that the Museum’s leadership team may try to negotiate a two-year deal”. He also said that no meeting had been scheduled since June because ‘UNISON is unwilling to negotiate’. This email was sent precisely when UNISON was in a meeting with the museum’s chief executive.
– The museum classes craftspeople as ‘fitters’ (who carry out mechanical duties, including but not restricted to: examining mineshaft prior to approving opening; boiler maintenance and repair; and examining winding ropes and replacing when deemed necessary) and ‘electricians’ (who carry out electrical duties, including but not restricted to: routinely checking signals, lighting, cables, telephones, etc; and examining winder and execute winder-driving duties).
– UNISON’s initial pay claim asked for a £2.50 rise, meaning the union has compromised by more than 50% on its initial claim.
