Workers on strike at the National Coal Mining Museum in Wakefield have rejected a new pay offer which said they would be investigated and disciplined when they return to work.
More than 40 members of staff walked out in mid-August and have been on strike ever since in a dispute over pay.
Until this week, only one offer had been put to striking staff by the museum. For many workers, the package was worse than one presented to staff that prompted the walkouts.
The new offer contains a line that says the museum will investigate staff and discipline them when they return to work. As a result, staff have voted overwhelmingly to reject it.
The union says the ‘farcical offer’ is the latest in a series of missteps by museum bosses. Previous gaffes include employing security guards who abused striking staff*, and chief executive Lynn Dunning calling police to the picket line in September 2025.
In the absence of any sensible suggestions from the museum, workers have put forward a counter-proposal in an effort to find a resolution and bring the dispute to a close.
UNISON Yorkshire and Humberside regional organiser Rianne Hooley said: “This farcical offer is the latest in a series of sorry missteps by managers that have only prolonged the dispute through their poor judgement and incompetence.
“Throughout this strike, museum bosses have behaved in a way which suggests they don’t value their skilled workers – the people who made the history this museum keeps alive.
“Putting forward a pay offer with a term which suggests staff will be disciplined if they accept is utterly ridiculous. Staff have understandably voted to reject it.
“They are desperate to be back at work, telling stories of coal mining and taking members of the public underground. In the absence of any sensible offer, staff have put forward a counter-proposal to try and bring this dispute to an end.
“They want to be paid fairly, they want to safeguard the future of the museum, and they want to be properly respected by their managers.”
Notes:
– *The security guards were subcontracted by a private security firm. Once presented with video footage by UNISON captured on body-worn cameras, the private security firm withdrew the security guards. The museum failed to act when complaints about the conduct of the security guards were made.
– UNISON believes the museum has spent more than £100,000 on private security during the strike – more than ten times the amount of money it would cost to settle the dispute. The union has called on the museum to publish figures of exactly how much has been spent. More information is available here.
– Staff originally walked out on 20 August 2025 and are currently due to be on strike until Friday 26 June 2026.
– A pay offer from the museum in October 2025 included a £1 an hour rise for ‘craftspeople’ (which the museum defines as fitters and electricians) and 5% for other staff. For many of the workers, this would work out lower than the 80p an hour increase previously proposed.
3 thoughts on “Farce at coal mining museum as striking staff given pay offer that could see them disciplined”
Comments are closed.