LONDON — More than 150 workers, members of the Public and Commercial Services Union, went on strike at the Tate galleries in Liverpool, London and St. Ives Nov. 26-Dec. 2, demanding higher pay.
Strikers at the Tate Modern here carried homemade signs, “Tate Gallery review — a portrait of the staff in turmoil,” “Priceless art? … Undervalued staff!!!” and “You can still Turner this around.” The strike coincided with the opening of the “Turner & Constable, Rivals & Originals” exhibit.
“The pay rise is our main demand,” Sophie Bruck, union representative for Tate United, told the Militant. She explained the workers had had a below inflation pay increase for the past two years while their expenses were rising sharply.
“In 2021 they changed the pension scheme for new starters, and they’ve shut the subsidized canteens that made a lot of difference to workers,” Bruck said. More workers have joined the union during the strike because “they saw it doing something.”
Strikers have received support from other unions, including visits to their pickets by the general secretaries of both the Fire Brigades Union and the Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers union. Other supporters included a number of artists and curators.