National Gallery Director Gabriele Finaldi Settles 100 Day Strike Action

National Gallery

The Public and Commercial Services union has announced that it has reached an agreement with the National Gallery after 100 days of strike action. 

The agreement will see the return to work of a senior union representative, the union added. The row has been over the privatisation of some visitor services by the new contractor, Securitas and over staff terms. This has now been resolved.

The PCS general secretary Mark Serwotka said he still opposed privatisation, but had been unable to prevent it. He said the union would now work with the gallery for a “smooth transition”. “We thank the new director Gabriele Finaldi and the company for their commitment to genuine negotiations,” it said in a statement.

Striking staff will now return to work at 09:00 BST on Monday, the union added. “We still do not believe privatisation was necessary but we will work with the new company and the gallery to ensure a smooth transition and, importantly, to ensure standards are maintained at this world-renowned institution,” Mr Serwotka said. The dispute followed an announcement by the National Gallery to appoint Securitas as its partner to manage some visitor-facing and security staff services – a contract worth £40m over five years.

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