Strikers fight for better pay at the British Library

A picket line outside the British Library

Workers at the British Library struck every day this week over pay and conditions. They are demanding an above inflation pay raise, but in reality the issues go much deeper than that.

Bernadette, who has worked at the British Library for more than 30 years, told Socialist Worker, “There was fun and joy and happiness–that’s all gone, there’s just no joy anymore.”

Things have gotten progressively worse since Covid, with the impact of a cyber-attack in October 2023 weighing hugely on workers.

This cyber-attack took down the entire library’s internet catalogues, a monumental issue for a collection containing over 170 million items including 14 million books. 

In the aftermath of the attack, management was entirely dependent on the workers’ knowledge of the collection. But now workers are being forced to pay for management’s incompetence.

As well as the attack taking down the library’s online infrastructure, workers’ personal information was released onto the dark web. 

People in vulnerable domestic situations had their private details released, health and union records are still out there. Workers are now vulnerable to scams and extortion. 

It’s been two years and there is still no proper digital catalogue for the library, and the workers have been told nothing about what’s going to happen.

“We’ve been really let down by the senior management,” explained Bernadette. She explained that workers had to “force” management to apologise, but that there has been no compensation and the issue has been left unaddressed.

“I love working here, it’s a fantastic place to work. It’s not about leaving and finding a ‘better job’, it’s about getting recognition for our hard work and knowledge that we have,” Bernadette says. 

The money is there. Senior management accepted bonuses last year that were more than worker’s annual pay. 

Workers are forced to take on second jobs and use food banks as they’re simply not paid enough to live on. Bernadette explained how people are taking annual leave simply because they cannot afford the train fares into work. 

The British Library has offered a 2.4 percent pay increase, but this is far below inflation, with the cost of living crisis only growing. 

“They have to pay us some money, we can’t survive.”

There have been picket lines every day this week, with plans for all of next week too. Picketers said that there have been 100 people out every single day, with multiple rallies supported by local MPs and trade union general secretaries attending throughout the week. 

The PCS union members voted 98.23 percent for industrial action, on a 75.17 percent turnout. 

Workers in the Library in the Prospect union have shown their support every day too. One worker told Socialist Worker how people attending an event on Thursday evening at the library also walked out in solidarity with the workers. 

All 11 reading rooms are to be shut on Friday and Saturday as there’s no workers to cover them. 

“We want to be able to provide a service to our customers,” Bernadette said. She explained the relationship with regular library goers, researchers and students, “They’ve shown us a lot of solidarity,” she said.

The workers striking range from security guards, to receptionists and library assistants. 

Security guards are the worst paid workers in the building. ”That’s something we want addressing,” Bernadette said. 

“The strength of feeling” around the strike is “huge”. 

Workers are excited at the prospect of workers at Tate Galleries balloting for strike–especially given a Tate worker addressed the rally on Friday morning. “Without the culture sector London would shut down.”

“We love our jobs. We have to make a stand now”.

• Names have been changed in this article