cropped-cropped-banner1Staff at the National Gallery facing privatisation have announced a new wave of strikes and called for support from other unions.

The UoL IWGB will be taking the branch banner down to the demo on 1 May at 2pm – if you can spare the time to come down with us that would be fantastic – drop Catherine a line (catherinemorrissey@iwgb.org.uk) for more details.

Full info on the campaign follows:

Further strikes at National Gallery 20-24 April & 01 May

Escalation planned if halt to privatisation not agreed

Pickets 9-11am (Friday also 5-6.30pm) 

Collection Day Friday 20 April –help raise money for our strike! 

 May Day Demo 1 May 2pm National Gallery

Our last strike saw our action go national with demonstrations in support of our campaign against privatisation in Leeds, Liverpool, Manchester and Cardiff as well as solidarity action in Bristol, Birmingham and Sheffield.  See all the latest support here https://ngnotforsale.wordpress.com/support. Watch film maker Ken Loach speaking here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tk6p6q14nvA.

National Gallery a National Election issue

There has been an important step in the political campaign too. The Labour Party have issued a statement calling for talks to resume to end the dispute and calling for the Gallery Trustees to ensure that all staff are paid the Living Wage. The Green Party have called for the Gallery to put tendering on hold until after the election. https://ngnotforsale.files.wordpress.com/2015/03/party-statements.docx

Call for a moratorium

The National Gallery plan to put services out to tender just two days before the General Election. But since these plans have now become an election PCS has called for a moratorium to halt the plans and believes a new government should have a chance to review the proposals as should the new director.

Sign the open letter to Director Nick Penny here and ask your election candidates to add their names too https://bit.ly/NGopenletter

Escalation

PCS members are discussing escalating their action if the National Gallery do not agree to this. Thank you to everyone for the amazing solidarity that has raised thousands of pounds so far.

Financial support will be crucial for us to step up our action. So please join our day of action on 24 April by collection money from your workmates and friends.

How you can support

Sign the open letter here and ask your election candidates where they stand Sign the letter to Director Nick Penny calling for a halt to the plans and ask election candidates to do the same https://bit.ly/NGopenletter

Support the national collection day on Friday 24 April

A collection sheet and leaflet are attached

Click to donate by Paypal https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=KYYEWKXCU2Y4Q

Donate to  sort code 08/60/01 and account no: 20169002 Cheques to PCS Culture Media and Sport Association, c/o PCS North West Region, Jack Jones House,1 Islington, Liverpool L3 8EG

Invite National Gallery strikers to your town or meeting to spread the campaign

More ways you can help and more information here https://ngnotforsale.wordpress.com/

You can read our People’s Inquiry into the National Gallery here https://www.pcs.org.uk/peoplesinquiry

Read Polly Toynbee calling on Gabriele Finaldi to intervene now to cancel the privatisation plans http://gu.com/p/46nac/sbl.

LABOUR PARTY STATEMENT

The National Gallery is one of this country’s most important museums and receives £25 million a year in Government Grant-in-Aid.

Whilst it is not for politicians to tell the Board of Trustees how to run the Gallery, the Labour Party is concerned by the on-going dispute, which is damaging the reputation of the Gallery, is undermining the morale amongst staff and is inconveniencing the public.

We urge both sides of the dispute to get talking again as soon as possible so that the dispute can be resolved.

We urge the Board of Trustees to review their employment practices so that all staff are paid equitably and are on at least the Living Wage.”

GREEN PARTY

STATEMENT

The Green Party opposes the privatisation and calls for the Culture Select Committee and the next government to investigate the situation. The gallery should stop the tendering process until after the election when a new government can review the situation.