The management of the British Library has been notified by the Public and
Commercial Services (PCS) union that it plans to take strike action over
the Library’s 2001-2002 pay offer. To date we have been notified of the
following programme of strike action:
Full day strike for all members across all Library sites on 29 July 2002
In addition, the Library has been notified of selective ‘discontinuous’
strike action. The first group of staff taking this action will be Library
Assistants and their Grade C Line Managers - to take place on 30 and 31
July 2002
During any strike action, the Library will attempt to maintain as many
services as possible. However, a reduction in staff numbers may make delays
in services or the closure of some reading rooms unavoidable. The Library
will try to maintain services to the public at St Pancras, including the
bookshop, the exhibition galleries, the restaurant and café.
The Library’s management is disappointed that PCS has decided to strike.
The pay offer averaging a 4% increase in salary has already been accepted
by 2 of the 3 unions that represent staff at the Library. The offer is
double the current rate of inflation and higher than the average for the
cultural sector (3.8%). Furthermore, staff are aware that the Library does
not have the funds to improve on the offer.
We will do our utmost to keep users informed and will constantly be
updating our website www.bl.uk with details of what services are available.
Users can also access information by telephoning:
020 7412 7676 – for information on services at St Pancras
020 7412 7353 – for information on Newspaper Library (Colindale) services
01937 546060 – for information on Document Supply Centre services
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