Welsh National Opera chorus postpones strike but ramps up industrial action

Members of the chorus at the Welsh National Opera are continuing to pause strike action to allow more talks to be held in a dispute over cuts.

Equity members of the chorus at Welsh National Opera had previously planned strike action for Friday 15 November, but other industrial action will continue.

According to Equity, the performing arts and entertainment union, further talks are expected and both sides hope to build on progress made in recent weeks.

However, Equity members of the Chorus have made clear their stance that “the situation cannot drag out” – with  strike action now planned for 6, 7 and 8 February 2025 if the dispute is not resolved, in addition to further industrial action short of strike.

Cuts

The 30-strong Chorus say they are taking action to save jobs and prevent compulsory redundancies.

Industrial action short of strike has seen Chorus members wear campaign t-shirts on stage during curtain calls, make speeches to the audience from the stage, demonstrate outside venues, and hand out campaign leaflets as audiences arrive.

Simon Curtis, Equity National Official for Wales, explained: “Our WNO Chorus members are understandably frustrated, and the ongoing uncertainty about jobs and income is very stressful.

“We will use the performance on Friday 15 November as an opportunity to highlight the threats to WNO as our members remain resolute in maintaining a full-time Chorus and their opposition to compulsory redundancies.

“We have made progress in talks, but the latest proposal doesn’t resolve all the problems and we have a gap to close to reach a resolution.

“The February strike action would be a significant escalation and we hope that every effort can be put into a negotiated settlement that protects the future of the Chorus and Welsh National Opera productions.”

Latest proposals

Chorus members held an Equity meeting on Friday 8 November to discuss the latest proposals from management.

They agreed to change strike action to action short of strike on Friday 15 November, to allow for further talks and promotion.

The Equity members also decided to ramp up industrial action short of strike for upcoming performances and to take three consecutive days of strike action in February.

Strike action on 6, 7 and 8 February 2025 is set to impact performances of Opera Favourites and Figaro.