Wakefield's mining museum strike set to be extended until summer 2026

Members of Unison are to be balloted on Friday (December 12) over continuing industrial action at the tourist attraction in Wakefield.

Staff at the museum began their industrial action in August, calling for higher wages.

The strike is set to continue until at least January 28 next year after the union blamed museum management’s “ongoing refusal to improve what’s on the table and backtracking on earlier promises.

The museum previously said it remained “fully open to constructive dialogue” with the union and urged leaders to “negotiate rather than issue demands.”

Details of the possible strike extension were revealed by Rianne Hooley, regional organiser for Unison Yorkshire and Humberside, at a demonstration in support of staff held outside Wakefield Cathedral on Saturday.

She said: “If we don’t get a settlement before this strike mandate ends at the end of January, our members, if they want to, can carry on on strike until the summer of 2026.

“We will carry on assembling at that picket line every morning. We will carry on fighting for fair pay until victory is secured.”

She added: “We are not just fighting for fair pay, we are fighting for the very survival of that museum.

“No compromise has been offered to our members.

“Our members have a long history, a proud legacy of defiance.

“They will not accept injustice. They will not accept unfairness and we are going to carry on this strike.

“This union is going to support this strike for as long as it takes.”

Wakefield Council leader Denise Jeffery and Jon Trickett, MP for Normanton and Hemsworth also spoke at the event.

In September, the council voted to withhold funding from the museum until the dispute was resolved.

Coun Jeffery, who has resigned as a museum patron in support of staff members, also publicly called for museum trustees to resign.

She said: “We are with you as Wakefield Council.

“Mining and the museum means the world to me.

“It’s not just about pay, it’s about fighting for the future of this museum that matters to much to this district and the history of coal.”

Mr Trickett told the crowd he would continue to raise the dispute in parliament.

He said: “Your courage is inspiring.

“You are fighting not simply for a proper income which you are entitled to, but you are also fighting for something more important, which is the memory of what went before – the mining industry.”

A statement previously issued by the museum said: “The charity has compromised and offered a settlement which would give the craftspeople within the mining team exactly the uplift which Unison have demanded and supports the vision of a staffing structure comparable with other organisations, which Unison have quoted as desirable.

“We are disappointed therefore that our offer has been rejected and that industrial action has been extended until January 28.

“Throughout this process, the museum has remained open to negotiation and has made multiple offers, none of which have been accepted.”