National Coal Mining Museum strike

That this House expresses its solidarity with the staff of the National Coal Mining Museum in Wakefield who are in a dispute over pay; applauds the workforce for insisting on a settlement which secures gender equality; acknowledges the important role the museum plays in honouring the memory and legacy of generations of miners in West Yorkshire and beyond; notes with concern that museum management has withdrawn a previously promised pay rise of whichever is greater out of 5% or £1 per hour, and that subsequent offers have been lower, despite the museum having made substantial surpluses in recent years; is alarmed that private security has been employed by the museum at an estimated cost of £50,000; opposes the decision made by the museum to request West Yorkshire Police remove a lawful picket line located on public land, despite evidence from Wakefield Council and confirmation from officers that the picket line action is legal; condemns any attempt to intimidate striking workers by such measures as calling the police to a lawful picket, which risks undermining the right to industrial action; urges the trustees of the National Coal Mining Museum to intervene urgently to reinstate negotiations; and calls on the museum management to make an offer consistent with a 5% or £1 per hour rise and to engage fully with ACAS to reach a just settlement.