Pavilion trust denies union bankruptcy claim
Getty ImagesThe museums trust which oversees Brighton's Royal Pavilion has denied union claims it might be facing bankruptcy.
The GMB Union, which had called for three more days of strike action this week after a previous strike in April over pay and contracts, said the city council should "intervene" before Brighton & Hove Museums Trust's "financial difficulties lead to bankruptcy".
However, a trust spokesperson said the claims were "inaccurate and misleading".
The trust said Brighton Museum, Hove Museum and Preston Manor would be closed between Wednesday and Friday due to the strike, while the Royal Pavilion would have reduced opening hours from 10:00 to 15:00 BST on those three days.
Oliver Cruikshank, GMB regional organiser, said a "fair and reasonable" proposal had been presented to the trust on 27 May, which was "rejected out of hand".
"We understand that the trust may be facing serious monetary issues, but it is not our members – the lowest paid but most important staff within the trust - who should shoulder the blame for this nor the responsibility to dig the Trust out of any holes," he said.
"In order to avoid further strike dates being issued, the trust need to call an urgent meeting, with trustees and decision makers from the council present, to be able to negotiate with GMB representatives and finally put a stop to this dispute."
'Entirely false'
Trust CEO Hedley Swain said the trust "firmly rejected any suggestion of potential bankruptcy" and that it was "entirely false".
"Far from being financially unstable, the independent trust model was specifically chosen by Brighton & Hove City Council to provide long-term resilience," he said.
He said the trust was set to have talks with the union on Tuesday.
"The charity remains entirely committed to open, realistic dialogue and continues to welcome engagement with all representative union bodies to find a mutually agreeable resolution to the ongoing dispute," he added.
