Half-term strike action to bring chaos at British Museum

Fresh strikes have been called by the biggest civil service union in its long-running dispute over jobs, pay and pensions.

Members of the Public and Commercial Service union (PCS) at the British Museum will take industrial action during February half term.

More than 100 members of the museum’s visitor services and security teams will take seven days’ action from February 13.

The same day sees more than 60 PCS members start five days of action at the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) in Wales.

The union said the strike between February 13 and 17 is likely to disrupt the printing of driving licences and impact on other print jobs at His Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC) and Department for Work and Pensions (DWP).

In a separate dispute, PCS members working as legal advisers and court associates in more than 80 courts across England and Wales have announced four days of strikes from February 3.

The announcement comes ahead of a strike by up to half a million workers next Wednesday, including 100,000 PCS members.

PCS general secretary Mark Serwotka said: “We warned ministers that our action would spread if they ignored our demands, and we’re good to our word.

“In failing to come to the table with any new money, the Government has failed its own workforce – the very people they praised for keeping the country running during the pandemic.

“If the Government was serious about resolving the dispute, ministers could resolve it tomorrow.

“Instead, they’re shamefully hiding their heads in the sand, hoping we’ll go away. We won’t.

“Wednesday will see the largest action by our union in a decade, with 100,000 of our members all over England, Scotland and Wales telling the Government they demand a pay rise now to help them through the cost-of-living crisis and beyond.”

Press Association