Workers at Wakefield's National Coal Mining Museum to strike in pay row
UNISON claims a promised pay rise has been withdrawn
Last updated 6th Aug 2025
Workers at the National Coal Mining Museum in Wakefield are set to go on strike later this month in a row over pay.
Members on UNISON claim they'll take action between August 20 and September 14, amid allegations a promised salary rise of 5% has been withdrawn.
UNISON says the pay package was agreed in June, but pulled two weeks later.
74% of members have backed walkouts at the West Yorkshire attraction.
UNISON Yorkshire and Humberside regional organiser Rianne Hooley said: “The National Coal Mining Museum is a site of huge cultural significance but wouldn’t exist without the hard work of its staff.
“They deserve to be treated with respect. Putting a pay offer on the table then taking it away is completely unacceptable.
“Nobody wants to take strike action, but nobody wants to be messed about either.
“There’s still time for the museum to stop any disruption. Managers simply need to honour the pay rise offered to workers in June.
“Staff are prepared to take sustained strike action to secure the fair pay rise they were promised.”
In a statement, a spokesperson for the National Coal Mining Museum said: "We highly value the work of our museum team, including our dedicated museum guides and are deeply saddened at the decision to commence industrial action."
"Despite challenging economic times our staff have been offered a 5% pay rise this year.
"This is higher than inflation and is significantly higher than the pay award agreed by Unison for the public sector at 3.2%. Looking at last year’s pay rise as well, this makes a cumulative increase of 14% over two years.
"As a Charity our Trustees feel this current offer is fair and the counter claim by Unison, which equates to over 8%, for many, as simply unaffordable.
"It would jeopardise people’s jobs across the organisation and threaten the long-term sustainability of the museum. At no point was an enhanced offer agreed.
"This offer of 5% has been rejected by Unison, and 28 members out of the 39 who have voted, have done so in favour of industrial action. We know that this is not the majority of our workforce of over 100 people and is largely made up of the museum guides who deliver our underground tours.
"It is our intention to keep an open dialogue with Unison, with the sincere hope, that this offer along with the many additional benefits included will be accepted to benefit our staff as a whole."