ROH: we will not be blackmailed

BECTU has condemned the ultimatum from management to negotiate redundancies and worsen conditions of service or face the sacking of all staff.

At a meeting with Royal Opera House (ROH) chair Sir Colin Southgate and other senior management on 9 September the union was informed that the ROH's financial position was such that when it reopens in December 1999 it will be unable to maintain the existing number of performances.

To maintain current levels, the ROH's annual grant of £14.4 million would need to double, and this is not possible. Management is therefore proposing that from 18 January 1999 Royal Ballet performances will continue, but the Royal Opera will be closed for a year. And when the house reopens, the number of performances will be slashed by a third to 120 for ballet and 100 for opera.

In addition, the unions were told that all the staff agreements must be completely renegotiated by 26 October this year - otherwise all staff would be given 12 weeks' notice of dismissal. Management accepted that if they carried out such a threat it would be uncertain whether the Royal Opera House would ever reopen.

The unions believe management's intention is large scale casualisation of the workforce - they want to slash the number of permanently employed staff and make up the required numbers with people on casual or fixed-term contracts of less than a year.

Following the meeting, BECTU Assistant General Secretary Gerry Morrissey commented: "This decision is outrageous. It compounds the previous mismanagement that has taken place, as once again the people who work so hard to put on some of the highest quality shows in the world are being sacrificed to save the suits. What is the logic in building the finest opera house in Europe and then closing it for a large part of the year? If you wish to retain the finest opera and ballet companies in the world. then you have to employ the best staff. Up to now, working at the Royal Opera House was the pinnacle of many people's careers. However, with no security of employment they will find it difficult to retain the best staff in the future."

He added: "BECTU is appalled that the unions have not been consulted and are now being given seven weeks to either negotiate or have all members sacked. We are not prepared to be blackmailed: we will be considering our options over the next couple of weeks and the joint unions will be arranging a mass meeting of members within the next 14 days."