Welsh National Opera chorus members have decided to postpone their strike action amidst ongoing discussions about job cuts. Equity, the union representing the chorus members, has announced that the planned walkout scheduled for Friday, October 11, will not proceed. Instead, a different form of protest, known as “action short of strike,” will take place. The chorus members will wear T-shirts bearing the slogans “#SaveOurWNO #AchubOCC” during the upcoming performance of “Opera Favourites At The Movies.” They will also distribute leaflets outside Venue Cymru in Llandudno before the show.
However, while the strike action set for November 15 is still on track, coinciding with the same opera event at the Mayflower Theatre in Southampton. Equity Wales official Simon Curtis expressed that discussions with WNO management have been ongoing since April. He acknowledged the recent engagement of a new interim general director at WNO, stating that the concerns raised by the chorus members are now being taken seriously.
Curtis emphasised the importance of allowing time for the management to address the needs of the workforce and find solutions that protect jobs. He reiterated the chorus members’ demands for a full-time chorus on a full-time wage without any compulsory redundancies. The chorus remains apprehensive about the implications of the management’s proposed cuts.
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