Strike will force British Museum to close for day

A strike by staff at the British Museum in London will prevent it from opening as normal for the first time in living memory.

Curators, security guards and other staff are to stage a one-day walkout on Monday, 17 June after 85 per cent of those who voted backed strike action to protest at cutbacks of more than £6m.

The strike means the museum will have to close because of concerns over health and safety and the protection of the treasures in its collections. The ballot was called by Prospect, which represents staff such as curators, and the Public and Commercial Services (PCS) union, representing warders and security staff.

The unions claim that the cuts will cause irreparable damage to the museum's invaluable collections and strip the country of leading specialists whose expertise is vital to the understanding and interpretation of the thousands of objects on display and in storage.

The museum's management had said it must make savings because of a predicted deficit of £6.5m caused by a slump in the number of tourists after the foot-and-mouth outbreak and the events of 11 September, as well as the cumulative effects of a long-term decline in government grants.

The museum is estimated to have suffered a 30 per cent cut in real terms in state funding in the past decade. It also failed to share in handouts given to charging museums to pay for the abolition of entrance fees, because it had always abided by a free admissions policy.

The museum has announced plans to shed about 150 staff, stage fewer exhibitions and close galleries. More than 20 galleries have already had their opening times cut. And the acquisitions budget is being slashed by 80 per cent to £100,000.

Terry Adams, the PCS's national officer, said its members did not want to close the museum through a strike. "But they are losing their livelihoods and seeing a great cultural institution being damaged because the Government refuses to fund it properly," he said.

"National treasures will be hidden away from the public, galleries will be closed off and fewer schoolchildren will be educated in the British Museum if the Government does not accept that world-class museums cannot be funded by gift shops and cafés alone."

Alan Leighton, Prospect's national officer, said it would be irresponsible not to take action, "because that would collude with a process that would lead to the museum being permanently damaged in the future". He said: "The museum's expert staff are vital to its credibility as a seat of scholarship and research. These cuts will fundamentally damage its ability to meet government objectives."

A spokesman for the British Museum said managers were doing everything they could to keep compulsory redundancies to a minimum. "We naturally regret that strike action is thought necessary," he said.

"We particularly regret the inconvenience to the visiting public. I'm pretty sure this is the first time we've had to close because of a strike. But with a building this size, we have to pay close attention to health and safety. Without the majority of gallery staff and security staff, we just can't keep it secure and safe."