Political opinion column with Jon Trickett MP: Why I support the workers at the National Coal Mining Museum

Unfortunately, strike action has been going on at the museum for four months now. This is due to an ongoing strike by workers against the unfair pay conditions offered to them by the museum’s board of trustees. I fully support the members on strike and praise the hard work of UNISON who have kept the momentum and morale of the strike going.

Many of the members on strike are ex-miners, who have strong memories of the Miners' Strike in 1984/85. It is shameful that they have been forced to go on strike again. I stood with the miners back then and I stand with them now.

The history of our area is entwined with coal mining. Although the mining industry is no more in this country, the deep impact of de-industrialisation and decline still lingers. Coalfield areas are more likely to be deprived, have fewer job opportunities and are less likely to experience social mobility. This is due to an economic system that is skewed in favour of those with the most wealth and power.

But actions such as the museum strike highlight how some workers in communities like ours won’t be held back. There is a strong picket line everyday outside of the museum. It is unbreakable. Every other vehicle that passes by honks their horns and cheers in support of the strikers.

I would like to see a resolution to this dispute, starting with the staff on strike, UNISON and the trustees getting back around the table at the earliest opportunity. At the recent rally in Wakefield, I called for the trustees to step down as I think that they have shown an unwillingness to resolve the issues and the museum has used Thatcherite anti-picketing laws.

More widely, I want to see an assurance that the visits down the mine will remain operational for visitors, while ever it is safe to do so, so that people of all ages, from all over the country and beyond, can experience firsthand what it was like to work down the mines.

There are 13 members of staff on strike who reside in Normanton and Hemsworth, which is higher than any other constituency. As their Member of Parliament, I have raised the matter in the House of Commons, directly asking the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport to get involved to help resolve the matter.

More widely, I have also sent written correspondence and tabled an Early Day Motion too, which received cross-party support and raised the strikes across my social media platforms.

You can rest assured that I will do all I can to help bring this dispute to an end in a way that is satisfactory to the workers. They deserve fair treatment and it’s important for the harmony of our area that they are shown the respect they deserve.