Xmas peace in London theatre dispute

New Year shows in London theatres threatened with strike action will now go ahead without disruption.

The announcement by BECTU that there would be no blackout of six West End theatres over the Millennium period came after a successful strike ballot closed on Christmas Eve.

Earlier in the year, a union demand for a £200 bonus payment for members working over the Millennium had been accepted by all regional and London theatres except six in the West End.

In some cases, managers agreed to pay the bonus, in others the houses decided to close voluntarily.

The strike ballot which closed on Christmas Eve covered members in theatres which planned to press ahead with Millennium performances without any bonus to staff.

During the course of the ballot one of the affected theatres, the Gielgud, decided to stay shut, and two others, the Piccadilly and Garrick, agreed to pay the £200 bonus.

Members in the other three, the Phoenix, Strand and Wyndhams, voted in favour of industrial action, but after reporting the ballot results to managers and consulting with local stewards, the union decided that no strike instructions would be issued.

As a result, performances at the three theatres will go ahead as planned over the Millennium period.