National Gallery strikers continue fighting privatisation and attack on their union rep

National Gallery staff have taken further strike action to stop privatisation and win the reinstatement of sacked union rep Candy Udwin, and are celebrating a legal victory.

The National Gallery campaign gained a victory yesterday, Wednesday 10 June, when Candy won her “Interim Relief” hearing at Employment Tribunal. The campaign say, “The judge ruled it was likely a full ET would find she had been dismissed for Trade Union activities. This vindicates the stand PCS has taken against her victimisation. The pressure is building to make the National Gallery see sense.”

Pressure continued today, Thursday 11 June, as staff took their 35th day of strike action. Protesters were joined in Trafalgar Square by Jeremy Corbyn, currently standing for leader of the Labour Party, and Natalie Bennett, leader of the Greens.

Strikers took confidence from another victory for a longstanding union rep the day before. Phil Turner, NUJ rep at the Rotherham Advertiser, had been threatened with compulsory redundancy. But, after a 250-strong protest at the weekend and a threatened strike, management backed down.

For more information on the National Gallery campaign, see their Facebook page.

All photos and video by Steve Eason.