Edinburgh’s National Museum of Scotland and the National War Museum are continuing their industrial action which coincides with the annual Edinburgh Festival. The Public and Commercial Services union (PCS) have made clear that 120 members will support strike action after negotiations with National Museums Scotland (NMS) broke down. A spokeswoman for National Museums Scotland confirmed that both the National Museum of Scotland and the National War Museum would be partially closed. The National Museum of Scotland attracts over 1.6 million visitors each year.
The trade union stated that staff were unhappy about the introduction by NMS of a two-tier weekend pay rate system. Under the new system staff employed before 2011 get a weekend allowance, whereas staff employed after 2011 do not. The dispute has been ongoing for one and a half years. They also intend to protest plans to privatise services.
Staff working without the weekend allowance earn between £2,000 to £3,000 less per year the union revealed. “This has been an 18-month long dispute now and essentially it’s about fair pay,” PCS Scotland’s industrial officer Alan Brown told the BBC. “If someone was employed by the National Museum of Scotland in December 2010 and worked weekends then they earn between £2,000 and £3,000 more than a colleague working beside them if they joined in January 2011,” he added.
Staff working without the weekend allowance earn between £2,000 to £3,000 less per year the union revealed. “This has been an 18-month long dispute now and essentially it’s about fair pay,” PCS Scotland’s industrial officer Alan Brown told the BBC. “If someone was employed by the National Museum of Scotland in December 2010 and worked weekends then they earn between £2,000 and £3,000 more than a colleague working beside them if they joined in January 2011,” he added.