Tate workers across the country are on strike after years of management attacks. Pete Webster reports on the latest action

PCS members across three gallery sites, Tate Britain, Liverpool and Modern, embarked on a scheduled one-week strike after being offered a below-inflation pay rise for the second year in a row. Actions short of a strike are also taking place at St Ives and Tate Stores.

Management’s cavalier attitudes to staff in recent years, with redundancies, restructuring and arbitrary changes to terms and condition, have fuelled discontent that resulted in an impressive 98% vote for strike action.

No less impressive was the massive turnout on the picket lines on a very cold Wednesday morning. They were from all departments including gallery attendants, art handlers, curators and admin staff recognising that this fight requires maximum unity to win.

Tate’s current offer of just 3% leaves employees facing a real-terms pay cut at a time when the cost-of-living crisis is sharply increasing. It does nothing to address the surge in food prices, rent, utilities and transport costs.

Tate directors receive between £195,000 to £320,000 per annum, although that does include ‘bonuses’.

Tate Modern Branch Secretary, Carlos, explained the members’ anger had been fuelled ‘by micro-management of staff, the removal of subsidies in the staff canteens, replacing the Civil Service Pension Scheme with an inferior provider with weaker terms for new starters, changes to the sickness policy – everything has been stretched and reduced to the maximum. Some of our members have reduced how long they turn the heating on at home just so that can pay spiralling living costs.’

Addressing the picket, Hannah David (PCS Vice President) pointed out that the strike was not only about fair pay and respect but that it was also a fight for the culture sector generally.

This was echoed by British Library Branch Secretary, Nick, whose members are themselves embroiled in an ongoing dispute over pay and conditions and saw two weeks of strike action recently. Further strikes are planned from Monday 8 November.

RMT General Secretary, Eddie Dempsey, delivered an inspiring speech enthusiastically received after calling out managers trying to keep the sites open as shameful. He said, ‘workers in this country have seen their wages fall backwards for thirty years. Your pay demand is not outrageous.’ He continued by pointing out ‘the private corporations that own the electricity, own the gas, that rent out your flats – they’ve been ripping this country off for years’. He went on to say, ‘as long as you stick together you can’t be beaten. And that’s a fact.’

Martin Cavanagh, PCS President, praised the fantastic turnout. He said that this was part of a general attack and that Tate workers did not stand alone. PCS members were involved in disputes at the British Library and Met Police. DWP staff in Lincoln have been on strike for two weeks fighting closure and are all out from next week (1 December). All DWP members were being balloted for strike action from January. The PCS had also obtained union recognition at DCMS in Liverpool and Manchester after four months of action including strikes.

He said, ‘it shows that if you fight back you can win! What you are asking for is not unfair. It is not unreasonable and it is imminently affordable … The message you send to your employer, but also the government, is this: “You either start treating workers with respect and dignity and pay us what is owed, or you’re going to see us on the streets outside, not inside, your buildings”.’

Tate Liverpool members are holding a picket outside Riba North, 21 Mann Island, Liverpool Waterfront, L3 1BP from 8.30am to noon on Thursday and Friday and the strikes at the other sites continue daily until 2 December.

Use #TateOnStrike for messages of support or donate to the strike fund.