Staff at the Royal Observatory in Greenwich will walk out on August 11 and 12, coinciding with the UK's most significant solar eclipse since 1999. The strike, called by Prospect union members, follows a vote in which 77 per cent backed industrial action over pay and working conditions.
Strike details and affected sites
The action affects Royal Museums Greenwich (RMG), including the National Maritime Museum, Cutty Sark, and Queen's House. The observatory is scheduled to host an on-site viewing of the eclipse at 7.12pm on August 12, alongside an online livestream. The Moon will cover between 90 and 96 per cent of the Sun, marking the nearest the UK has come to a total eclipse since 1999.
Prospect union officials say heritage workers in Greenwich and across the UK face poor pay and conditions, prompting the demand for London Living Wage accreditation, stronger policies on fixed-term contracts, and protection of existing Christmas closure holiday arrangements.
Union and management responses
Mike Clancy, Prospect general secretary, stated: "Our members don’t want to take strike action, but they have been left with no choice by the attitude taken by senior management. We’ve already achieved progress, having recently agreed a two year pay settlement with Royal Museums Greenwich after successful negotiations." He added, "It is not too late to for them to avoid this strike, they need to keep negotiating and give us some movement on what are very reasonable demands. Across the heritage sector our members have been taken advantage of for too long. This summer we are sending a signal that they will not put up with it anymore."
In a statement, Royal Museums Greenwich said: "RMG has been in constructive negotiations with Prospect including a formal ACAS conciliation meeting in July. Those negotiations have already produced a two-year pay settlement covering 2026/27 and 2027/28, which has been agreed by Prospect and implemented." The statement continued, "The remaining areas of dispute relate to a small number of non-pay matters on which the Union and RMG has already had a meeting with ACAS, who recorded progress and a constructive way forward as RMG made a series of commitments, including engagement with the London Living Wage Foundation. Prospect members have voted in favour of strike action, and we have received notice of discontinuous strike action on 11 and 12 August. We are disappointed by this outcome, particularly given the progress which has been made. RMG plans to keep the Museum sites open to maintain the provision of service to the public."
Impact on eclipse viewing
The strike could disrupt the observatory's eclipse events, but RMG has stated its intention to keep sites open. Visitors planning to attend the viewing are advised to check for updates. The eclipse is a rare celestial event, with the next comparable occurrence not expected for decades, making the timing of the strike particularly significant for both staff and the public.
