Some of the venues affected by strike action (Picture: Getty)
More than 900 workers at tourist attractions across London are walking out today in a dispute over pay.
Members of the GMB union at the City of London Corporation are striking for 24 hours after voting overwhelmingly in favour of industrial action.
Picket lines will be set up on Thursday outside a number of tourist attractions and other popular venues.
Locations include the Barbican Centre, Tower Bridge, the Old Bailey, London Metropolitan Archives, and Smithfield Market.
The corporation says the union’s pay demands would lead to cuts to services and redundancies.
Anna Lee, GMB London region organiser, said: ‘These people are working in one of the richest places on the planet.
‘All they are asking for is a decent pay rise to help with the cost of living.
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‘It’s a scandal they have to close major tourist attractions just to get their voices heard by City of London Corporation bosses, but that’s what it’s come to.
‘GMB calls on the City of London Corporation to properly value and respect their staff and return to the negotiating table.’
More than 900 GMB members are striking (Picture: Guy Smallman/Getty Images)
Other picket line locations include the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, City of London School for Girls, and the London Port Health Authority.
A City of London Corporation spokesperson said: ‘Our 2022-23 pay award gave all full-time employees at least £2,300 extra.
‘In our view, it addressed the challenges staff face in the fairest way possible, while ensuring we met our statutory duty to deliver a balanced budget.
‘We appreciate how difficult it is for many people in the current economic climate and our one-off winter payment of £1,000 provided in October gave real, practical support to all our staff to help them cope with the cost-of-living crisis.
‘This amount has now been confirmed as consolidated into base pay during 2023-24.
‘The minimum pay increase awarded last year meant our lowest paid staff – those most affected by the cost-of-living crisis – received an increase of over 12%.
‘Providing the inflation-matching pay increase demanded by the unions would result in significant cuts to services, including making a considerable number of redundancies.’
Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at [email protected].
For more stories like this, check our news page.
Some of the venues affected by strike action (Picture: Getty)
More than 900 workers at tourist attractions across London are walking out today in a dispute over pay.
Members of the GMB union at the City of London Corporation are striking for 24 hours after voting overwhelmingly in favour of industrial action.
Picket lines will be set up on Thursday outside a number of tourist attractions and other popular venues.
Locations include the Barbican Centre, Tower Bridge, the Old Bailey, London Metropolitan Archives, and Smithfield Market.
The corporation says the union’s pay demands would lead to cuts to services and redundancies.
Anna Lee, GMB London region organiser, said: ‘These people are working in one of the richest places on the planet.
‘All they are asking for is a decent pay rise to help with the cost of living.
Latest London news
London festivals this year are absolutely jam-packed – our top 10 to help you pick and choose
Adrenaline-fuelled nuns rev their engines as they swarm London on mopeds
RideLondon 2023: Full list of road closures on May 28 – are you affected?
To get the latest news from the capital visit Metro.co.uk’s visit Metro’s London news hub.
‘It’s a scandal they have to close major tourist attractions just to get their voices heard by City of London Corporation bosses, but that’s what it’s come to.
‘GMB calls on the City of London Corporation to properly value and respect their staff and return to the negotiating table.’
More than 900 GMB members are striking (Picture: Guy Smallman/Getty Images)
Other picket line locations include the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, City of London School for Girls, and the London Port Health Authority.
A City of London Corporation spokesperson said: ‘Our 2022-23 pay award gave all full-time employees at least £2,300 extra.
‘In our view, it addressed the challenges staff face in the fairest way possible, while ensuring we met our statutory duty to deliver a balanced budget.
‘We appreciate how difficult it is for many people in the current economic climate and our one-off winter payment of £1,000 provided in October gave real, practical support to all our staff to help them cope with the cost-of-living crisis.
‘This amount has now been confirmed as consolidated into base pay during 2023-24.
‘The minimum pay increase awarded last year meant our lowest paid staff – those most affected by the cost-of-living crisis – received an increase of over 12%.
‘Providing the inflation-matching pay increase demanded by the unions would result in significant cuts to services, including making a considerable number of redundancies.’
Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at [email protected].
For more stories like this, check our news page.
