Iain Dalton, Yorkshire Socialist Party
Tour guides, cleaners and other workers at the National Mining Museum near Wakefield, who are members of Unison, began four weeks of strike action after management withdrew a pay offer.
Initially, management had offered a pay rise of 5%, later revised to a £1-an-hour increase for mine guides and 5% for everyone else. After ACAS talks, Unison agreed to recommend acceptance of £1 an hour or 5%, whichever is the greater, for all staff.
But 11 days later this offer was withdrawn, and instead replaced by 80p or 5%.
Last year the museum made over £500,000 operating surplus and has been in surplus for the four preceding financial years, as well as holding £10 million in reserves. Unison estimates that the cost of the 20p difference would only be £20-30,000 extra per year.
And the idea this could be afforded was reinforced when strikers turned up to the picket line to find that management had employed security guards for the day to intimidate them!
Meanwhile, the three senior managers at the museum are themselves on a combined £250,000 a year, while the lowest-paid staff are currently on £12.60 an hour.
