Art lovers disappointed but many back workers on indefinite strike over fears they will be replaced by security guards ‘who know nothing about paintings’

Striking workers have shut down most of the National Gallery in London, as a long-running dispute over the privatisation of their jobs escalated into an indefinite walkout.

The gallery’s main doors in Trafalgar Square were closed on Tuesday and visitors were instead directed to the Sainsbury wing, where a private security company manned the doors.

Operating with just a skeleton staff, even some of its most prestigious exhibits were off limits. Visitors leaving said they were disappointed to miss the paintings they had come to see, but many also backed the aims of the strike.

It is the most recent strike by gallery workers after months of walkouts against plans to privatise visitor services, including security. Directly outside the building, workers on a picket line voiced their anger at a proposed modernisation programme.

None would give their names for fear of management reprisals. Gallery bosses sacked one union representative, although they have been forced to reinstate her pay while she fights the decision.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest A sign informs visitors that a room is closed at the National Gallery. Photograph: Facundo Arrizabalaga/EPA

“The gallery will not negotiate with us,” said one striking staff member, a woman in her 50s. “We are fighting a hit squad who have been brought in by government – three or four senior managers.

“It’s not really the gallery, it’s this group of people who are determined to privatise whatever. They are bullying, [but] we are even more determined now with the way they have treated us.”

Members of the Public and Commercial Services union have walked out more than 50 times over the past year. Despite the opposition, the gallery has signed a contract with the outsourcing company Securitas.

Bosses insist no jobs will be lost, but staff fear the change will lead to worse terms and conditions at work, including zero-hours contracts.

They also fear the cultural impact of outsourcing to a company better known for providing security guards. “As far as the public are concerned, eventually they won’t have a staff that knows about the paintings,” said one. “There will be an influx of people who usually guard empty buildings.”

Another voiced concerns over the overall management strategy for the gallery, which houses one of the world’s most important art collections. “It’s become less of an art gallery and much more just a place for people to hang out, which if you get plenty of people along is sort of more like a fairground rather than an art gallery,” he said.

Damien Gayle (@damiengayle) This is how much of the National Gallery has been shut down by today's strike pic.twitter.com/BZvMmEqRif

A third striker warned against what he saw as the increasing commercialisation of the gallery. “What we want is to keep the gallery open and stick to the principles it had when it was founded, which is as a place for art that is open to all.



“I can feel what’s coming. It’s in the air. They will turn the National Gallery into a big Disneyland of sorts. We definitely don’t want that.”

Workers’ anger had been intensified by the sacking of well-liked union rep Candy Udwin, who is currently appealing against bosses’ decision to let her go. An employment tribunal has forced the gallery to put her back on the payroll, but managers have refused to allow her back to work.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Paul Bemrose, a full-time officer with PCS, speaks to the Guardian’s Damien Gayle

“She’s an effective union rep and they don’t want the union active and effective in the workplace,” Paul Bemrose, a full-time officer with PCS, said. “It’s all part of their strategy to advance the privatisation agenda.”

The PCS general secretary, Mark Serwotka, said: “We had asked the new director [Gabriele Finaldi, formerly of the Prado] to step in to resolve this dispute before taking over but now his first week will be greeted by a continuous strike. We remain ready to negotiate.

“We do not believe this privatisation is in any way necessary and we fear for the reputation the gallery rightly enjoys around the world as one of our country’s greatest cultural assets.”

The strike at the gallery, one of Britain’s best known cultural institutions, has become symbolic of industrial action against the Conservative government, which is planning deep cuts to public services and a fresh attack on trade union rights.

Union branches from as far afield as Glasgow have donated to a strike fund and anti-austerity groups have staged solidarity protests. Passersby stopped to offer their support to workers on the National Gallery picket line.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Visitors sit in one of the few rooms open at the National Gallery. Photograph: Facundo Arrizabalaga/EPA

Earlier, Labour leadership contender Jeremy Corbyn sent a message of support, saying: “National Gallery workers have been forced to take this action because of the intransigence of management. These low-paid workers are proud public servants and don’t want their jobs sold off.

“The management of the National Gallery must reinstate Candy Udwin and call off plans to privatise the staff who look after our cultural assets. I urge the incoming director, Gabriele Finaldi, to meet with the union and resolve this dispute.”

On the way into the National Gallery, security guards barked at Chinese tourists trying to enter with their luggage – bags over a certain size are not allowed. Inside the few open galleries, visitors milled around as normal.

National Gallery strike: management is simply union-busting | Letters Read more

Many peered past closed glass doors and into cordoned off areas at the treasures they were missing. Even the much-loved impressionists exhibit was closed, which strikers saw as a victory. Never before had a strike shut down so much of the gallery, they said.

Tourist Mike Bracci, from south Florida, who was leaving the gallery on Tuesday morning with his family, said no one had even told them on the way in that so many exhibits were closed. “We don’t even know what the issue is,” he said. “They didn’t tell us anything at all until we got upstairs.”

Val Smith, who was with Jake Hill, a young relative, said she was “very, very disappointed” to find so much of the gallery closed. “He has a game that is like a pairs game, using pictures from the gallery and we went to see if we could see those pictures, but we think they were all in the section that was shut down,” she said.

Despite the inconvenience, she said she thought the government should not privatise public amenities. “This strike’s been going on quite a long time now. Good luck to them really, this is a very important public amenity – it’s world renowned.”

Facebook Twitter Pinterest A notice informs visitors to the National Gallery of the strike. Photograph: Damien Gayle/The Guardian

Bracci said that he was not sure privatisation was necessarily a bad thing. “It really depends,” he said. “We come at it from a different perspective in the States. We have seen a lot of good things from an efficiency standpoint, but at the same time you do see companies try to cut corners to make an extra buck. It’s a balancing act.”

In a statement the National Gallery said: “Regrettably, the PCS union has announced continuous industrial action at the National Gallery from 11 August 2015 in protest at the gallery’s modernisation plans.

“During previous strikes more than half of the National Gallery remained open to the public and we hope that visitors will again be able to enjoy large parts of the gallery during this strike action.”

The gallery said: “This is the 57th day of strike action over this issue. The PCS opposes the introduction of new working practices for some visitor-facing and security staff which would enable us to operate more flexibly and deliver an enhanced service to our six million annual visitors.”



The gallery said it had spent more than a year negotiating with the PCS union and talks had been held at Acas, but the union had refused to compromise on its position.

“As a result, the National Gallery has appointed Securitas as its partner to manage some visitor-facing and security staff services. No members of staff will be made redundant in this process and all affected staff will continue to be paid the London living wage.”