“Where’s Carwyn?” – museum workers demand action by the Welsh government

PCS members from Museums Wales and DVLA outside Waterfront museum, 29.8.15

PCS members from Museums Wales and DVLA outside Waterfront museum, 29.8.15   (Click to enlarge: opens in new window)

Dave Reid

National Museum Wales workers from all over the country, currently on indefinite strike against the management’s imposition of a cut in pay, rallied at the Senedd in Cardiff on 11 May to demand the Welsh government step in and resolve the dispute.

While the politicians milled around the Senedd trying to cobble together a deal to form a Welsh government, museum workers held an enthusiastic lobby and rally addressed by PCS general secretary, Mark Serwotka and other trade unionists to demand the Welsh government step into their dispute.

For two years National Museum Wales management has been trying to impose a cut in weekend payments to museum workers. In March they announced that they would sack all the workers and impose the pay cuts unless workers surrendered. But the museum workers refused to be bullied into accepting the wage cut and responded by calling an indefinite strike.

The Big Pit mining museum is closed as ex-miners running the museum have gone on strike and are organising collections for the hardship fund all over South Wales. Other museums are being kept open by management but with a greatly reduced service.

The National Museum of Wales is financed by the Welsh government and run as an arms-length company. A week before the election on 5 May, Labour First Minister Carwyn Jones, promised that as soon as the election was over he would step in and resolve the dispute. So workers asked: “Where is Carwyn?”

A number of Labour and Plaid Cymru assembly members came out of the Senedd to address the strikers and offer support. But this dispute could be resolved easily if the Welsh government were to instruct the assembly to drop its attacks.

  • The museum workers hardship fund has collected thousands of pounds including an excellent £1,000 from Unite but much more is needed. Raise a donation at your union branch and pay it into: Bank: Unity Trust Bank
  • Account name: PCS Amgueddfa Cymru 107006 Branch Hardship Fund
  • Account number: 20364700
  • Sort code: 60-83-01
  • Or via PayPal: http://bit.ly/26eNhvq