A long-running strike by more than 40 workers at the National Coal Mining Museum in Wakefield has been extended until the end of January 2026.
Staff have been on a continuous strike since mid-August in a dispute over pay. The museum has failed to put forward an acceptable wage-rise to resolve the dispute.
The workers feel they have no option but to extend the strike due to the museum management’s ongoing refusal to improve what’s on the table and backtracking on earlier promises.
Employees rejected the latest offer last week* as the new terms would leave many staff worse off than a previous version that had already been turned down.
UNISON says the extension of the strike is down to the museum’s unwillingness to pay workers what they deserve.
Management have been pumping thousands of pounds into alternative visitor attractions such as a land train and half-term activities, rather than resolving the dispute.
UNISON says the museum spent significantly more money on such things during the first four weeks of the strike than the sum needed to settle the dispute**.
The museum has also recently employed contractors to carry out repairs to the playground. This is work that striking staff would normally carry out for no extra money whilst on shift.
Putting the money into resolving the dispute would be a far better use of public cash than hiring external companies to complete work staff would ordinarily be happy to take on.
UNISON Yorkshire and Humberside regional organiser Rianne Hooley said: “Workers are deeply disappointed with the museum management’s unwillingness to pay them fairly.
“Nobody wants to be standing on a picket line in the depths of winter, but they feel they’ve no other option.
“Staff feel undervalued and demoralised. They’d much rather be doing what they love, and that’s keeping the history of coal mining alive by capturing the imaginations of the public through their storytelling and real-life experiences.
“The museum can avoid this disruption by getting back round the table and actually putting forward an improved pay offer. Not one that leaves some workers worse off.”
Notes:
– The strike began on 20 August and is now scheduled to run until 23:59 on Wednesday 28 January 2026.
– *The most recent pay offer from the museum suggested a £1 an hour rise for ‘craftspeople’ (which the museum defines as fitters and electricians) and 5% for other staff. For many workers this would work out lower than the 80p an hour increase previously suggested. More information is available here.
– 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’s initial pay claim asked for a £2.50 rise, meaning the union has shown it is more than willing to compromise with a reduction of more than 50% on its initial claim.
– **UNISON calculated the museum would spend more than £50,000 during the first four weeks of the strike on private security and alternative visitor arrangements. The museum has failed to provide any evidence this is not true. More information can be found here.
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