WNO chorus strike paused

Equity has announced that its members in the chorus of the Welsh National Opera have voted to pause their first and second days of strike action planned for 21 September and 29 September, following "productive discussions" with management over the past week.

Action short of strike will still be taken on those dates, on the opening night of Rigoletto and throughout the season as originally planned.

A third date of planned strike action on 11 October is still in place.

The union hopes the pause will allow for further talks, with the goal of reaching an agreement with WNO management that addresses concerns over job losses, pay cuts and compulsory redundancies.

On Saturday (21 September), the chorus will leaflet the public outside the Wales Millennium Centre, joined by members of WNO’s orchestra, represented by the Musicians’ Union. In July, the orchestra also voted in favour of potential strike action over similar cuts and proposals from management. 
 
Simon Curtis, Equity Wales Official, said: “We’re encouraged by recent positive engagement from WNO management so far, which is why our members made the decision to pause strike action. However, we are not out of the woods yet and an agreement ensuring the jobs and livelihoods of the chorus has not been reached.

"Our desire throughout this process has been to work with the board and management, and we hope to continue in constructive discussions with management in the coming weeks. In addition, we call on the WNO’s board to meet with us so they can better understand the circumstances of our members and the impact of the proposals that they support being put in place.

"Meanwhile, the concerns of the chorus will continue to be heard through action short of strike, and the strike mandate remains live – meaning full strike action is still possible and will go ahead as planned on the 11 October if sufficient progress is not made.”