WNO chorus members renew strike mandate

Equity members of the Welsh National Opera chorus have voted in favour of industrial action in a re-ballot on the ongoing dispute over proposed job cuts and changes to employment terms and conditions.

The chorus will continue to take action short of striking from 9 April onwards.

The previous mandate for action lasted for six months and as the dispute remains unresolved, a re-ballot took place, closing this week.

WNO Equity members have voted 95% in favour of action short of strike and 91% in favour of strike action on a 100% turnout.

The chorus, represented by Equity, the trade union for professional singers, are taking industrial action over management proposals to cut the size of the full-time chorus, and make “unsustainable cuts” to their terms and conditions.

They have previously protested against the plans by wearing union t-shirts during performances, making speeches during curtain call, and leafleting audiences.

Redundancies

Equity’s Wales Official Simon Curtis said: “We have been clear from the very start of this dispute: the chorus will not accept compulsory redundancies.

“This would equate to a career-ending scenario if they remain in Wales, where opportunities for professional singers are virtually non-existent.

“We urge WNO management to reassess their business plan and budget given recent financial developments – including Arts Council of Wales (ACW) Resilience Funding, an increased ACW budget for 2025/6, and potential discussions around direct Welsh Government support – and not make cuts that would harm the livelihoods of the workforce and quality of the WNO’s opera provision.”

Top-up

Last month, the Welsh government announced a £4.4m top up to Wales’ arts and culture 2025-26 budget.

This comes after a 10.5% cut to Arts Council of Wales funding last year. While the arts and culture budget for the forthcoming year has been restored to 2023-24 levels, it takes place against a backdrop of a 40% cut in funding in real terms since 2010, which has hit the sector hard.

WNO, which also tours in England, also had its Arts Council England grant reduced by 35%, from £6.24m to £4m a year for the 2023-26 period.

They were subsequently granted an additional £3.25m through its Transform programme to help it adapt to lower funding levels.