The new general secretary of UNISON will join the picket line at the National Coal Mining Museum near Wakefield tomorrow (Friday) just a week after taking office.
Andrea Egan will take her place alongside striking workers in a show of solidarity as the long-running pay dispute continues.
More than 40 workers walked out in mid-August and have been on strike ever since. They have a mandate to continue their industrial action until the end of June.
Over the past five months the museum’s chief executive Lynn Dunning has overseen a series of bizarre decisions. They include hiring abusive private security guards, calling police to an orderly picket line and putting forward a pay offer which would have seen staff disciplined when they returned to work.
The expense of prolonging the strike has vastly outweighed the cost of giving the workforce a fair pay rise.
Since action began, Wakefield Council has withdrawn funding to the museum, the issue has been raised in the House of Commons and the Charity Commission has launched an investigation into the governance and management of the museum.
UNISON says Andrea’s visit so soon after taking office is a clear demonstration of how seriously the union is taking the dispute.
UNISON general secretary Andrea Egan said: “Museum bosses have behaved despicably.
“Staff love their jobs and they’re keeping alive an invaluable link to the UK’s industrial heritage for generations to come. But they’ve been treated with contempt.
“The workers, who include miners who were on strike in the 1980s, are determined to be treated fairly. UNISON will be with them every step of the way.”
Notes:
– Staff voted to reject their most recent pay offer, which included a provision allowing the museum investigate and discipline them when they return to work. More information can be found here. Workers put forward a counter-proposal in an effort to unlock the dispute, which was rejected by the museum.
– Security at the picket line was undertaken by a private security firm. Guards were withdrawn by the firm after video footage captured by UNISON showed their abusive behaviour. The museum failed to act when complaints about the conduct of the security guards were made.
– UNISON says 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 museum has refused to publish details of how much has been spent.
– Details of police being called to the picket line can be found here.
– Staff originally walked out on 20 August 2025 and are currently due to be on strike until Friday 26 June 2026.
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