Staff from City of London cultural institutions hold strike

The Barbican Centre is one of the institutions affected by the walkout

Staff from several of central London's cultural and civic institutions have gone on strike in a dispute over pay.

More than 900 GMB union members employed by the City of London Corporation are expected to join the 24-hour walkout.

The Barbican Centre, Tower Bridge and the Old Bailey are among the places affected by the action.

The union has called for an improved pay deal but the corporation said that would lead to cuts and redundancies.

During the day union members are expected to mount picket lines outside buildings including the Guildhall School of Music & Drama, City of London School for Girls, the London Metropolitan Archives and Smithfield Market.

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Anna Lee, GMB London region organiser, said: "It's a scandal they have to close major tourist attractions just to get their voices heard by City of London Corporation bosses, but that's what it's come to.

"GMB calls on the City of London Corporation to properly value and respect their staff and return to the negotiating table."

A City of London Corporation spokesperson said the 2022/23 pay award had given all full-time employees at least £2,300 extra.

A spokesperson said: "In our view, it addressed the challenges staff face in the fairest way possible, while ensuring we met our statutory duty to deliver a balanced budget."

"Providing the inflation-matching pay increase demanded by the unions would result in significant cuts to services, including making a considerable number of redundancies," they added.

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