| Big Pit, the National Coal Museum, has been hit by closures in the dispute over weekend working payments. The action on 15 and 16 August followed walkouts at the other National Museums sites on Friday (12 August). The National Wool Museum in Drefach Felindre and the National Waterfront Museum in Swansea were closed to the public completely and there were gallery closures and limited services at the National Slate Museum in Llanberis, the National Museum in Cathays Park and at St Fagan’s National History Museum in Cardiff. PCS members are opposing plans to scrap premium payments for weekend working, which make up as much as 15% of the take-home pay of front-of-house staff. Losing the payments would involve slashing the income of many already low-paid staff by £2,000-£3,000 a year. Payments would remain for bank holidays but would no longer be pensionable. Management has threatened to dismiss staff who refused to sign up to the changes, then re-engage them on the inferior terms. Pride Many members from the National Museums Wales joined the Cardiff Pride march on Saturday (15 August) in recognition of the support given to the striking miners by the lesbian and gay community during the 1984/5 Miners' Strike. This year's Cardiff Pride march also marked 30 years after the first LGBT March in Wales took place. National Museums Wales PCS branch secretary Neil Harrison had attended both events and the march organisers arranged for the trade union banners to go at the front of the march. Show your support Messages of support can be sent to branch chair Neil Harrison or branch secretary Peter Hill. Make a contribution to the hardship fund: Bank: Unity Trust Bank Account Name: PCS Amgueddfa Cymru 107006 Branch Account Number: 20331827 Sort code: 08-60-01 Further strike dates are as follows: 19 August: National Slate Museum in Llanberis and National Museum in Cathays Park, Cardiff 20 August: National Wool Museum in Drefach Felindre, National Waterfront Museum, Swansea and St Fagans National History Museum, Cardiff 22 and 23 August: Big Pit Mining Village, Blaenafon 29 August: All sites 30 and 31 August: Big Pit Mining Village, Blaenafon. |