2,000 strike over pay at Glasgow Life

Up to 2,000 workers at Glasgow Life (previously Glasgow Culture and Sport) struck again this Monday in the latest phase of their battle over pay and conditions.

The strikers shut down all the city’s museums, and the majority of its libraries, sports facilities and community centres.

The Unison, Unite, GMB and Bectu unions are fighting a pay freeze – and bosses are stepping up threats of job cuts.

Glasgow Life – which runs city facilities for the council – is planning cuts of more than £10 million.

It said the cuts needed were equivalent to the cost of running the entire museum service, or all the city’s libraries. It is the libraries that are expected to be hit hardest.

Unison’s Scottish chair Mike Kirby said, “If jobs are now threatened then all bets are off and this dispute will multiply.”

Monday was the second day of united strike action across all sites in Glasgow. There has also been selective action at weekends targeting major tourist events.

The strikers hit the Gallery of Modern Art and Kelvingrove Museum and Art Gallery last Saturday.

The strikes are clearly having an impact – and the return to united action will have hit the bosses hard.