Strike vote at Royal Opera House
BECTU members at the ROH have voted to strike in support of a victimised union rep.
More than four-fifths of the union workforce took part in a ballot, announced today, and 80% of them voted for full strike action.
The ballot followed a bitter dispute over victimisation of BECTU shop steward Pat Styles, who was suspended from work in February after management criticised his union activities.
Efforts to resolve the dispute at ACAS last month collapsed amid union accusations of bad faith by management. After two days of talks in which BECTU offered many concessions, the management side announced that they still planned to take disciplinary action against Styles.
New Opera House boss Tony Hall, who took over as chief executive only a week ago, now faces a series of stoppages unless he allows ACAS to reopen the failed peace talks.
If no approach is made by Opera House management by April 10, BECTU intends to present the company with a series of dates when strikes will be called.
In February, members at the ROH took their case against Styles' suspension directly to audiences, by leafletting queues with a message from the union. A meeting of BECTU members also passed a vote of no confidence in the acting executive director, John Seekings, accusing him of generating "deep anger" through his dealings with the union.
Press release issued by BECTU
Press Information
Attention of arts and entertainment plus labour, industrial correspondents.
Friday 6th April 2001
ROYAL OPERA HOUSE STAFF TO TAKE STRIKE ACTION
"And weigh'st thy words before thou giv'st them breath"
Othello Act 3, Scene 3.
Workers at the Royal Opera House have voted by more than 80% to take industrial action after temporary managers suspended the theatre union BECTU's branch secretary.
BECTU's Assistant General Secretary, Gerry Morrissey, said "workers at the House will not tolerate victimisation of their elected workplace representative.
Strike action will be very disruptive to the Opera House. The union will do everything to ensure productions are not cancelled but his ballot result shows the strength of feeling".
"The new Director - Tony Hall - has inherited this problem. We invite him to show real authority by intervening to implement the compromise worked out at ACAS and lift the suspension of our branch secretary."
Information to Editors:
BECTU will announce strike dates on the 10th April.
For more information contact:
117 Full-Time Staff at the Royal Opera House voted with 93 in favour of strike action.
18 Casual Staff voted with 15 in favour of strike action.
BECTU Press Officer, Nick Wright on 020 7437 8506 or mobile 0976 943 514
Assistant General Secretary, Gerry Morrissey on 020 7437 8506 or mobile 07850 317866