Welsh National Opera Chorus Strike Remains Paused Following Constructive Discussions With New Interim Management

Equity members in the chorus of the Welsh National Opera will continue to pause strike action, meaning they will not go on strike on the next proposed date of Friday 11 October, to allow progress to be made in further talks. Action short of strike will go ahead instead, involving chorus members wearing t-shirts saying ‘#SaveOurWNO #AchubOCC' during the performance of Opera Favourites at the Movies, and leafleting audience members outside the venue (Venue Cymru, Llandudno) prior to the show. 

Equity members in the chorus voted by an overwhelming majority to pause strike action following constructive and ongoing discussions with management. This includes a meeting with the new interim General Director Jan Michaelis last week, on Thursday 3 October. Strike action is currently still planned for Friday 15 November, coinciding with Opera Favourites at the Movies at the Mayflower Theatre in Southampton.

The continuing pause of strike action follows previously paused strike dates on Saturday 21 and Sunday 29 September. Instead, action short of strike has been taking place on those dates and several others. On Wednesday 25 September, chorus members also met with the WNO's Board and handed in a letter to the Chair, Yvette Jones, signed by over 1,300 people, asking for the Board to oppose job cuts.

Simon Curtis, Equity Wales Official, says: “Equity's discussions have been ongoing with WNO management since April of this year, but it is only now – with a new interim General Director at the WNO – that our concerns are being addressed seriously and with an appreciation of the highly skilled jobs our members do for the company. To make sure we explore every possible option to safeguard jobs and the workforce requires time, and that is why we are allowing this new management space to reach an agreement which works for our members. The chorus continue to be concerned about the implications and any implementation of management's most recent proposals and our demands remain the same – a full time chorus on a full time wage, with no compulsory redundancies.”

In September, 93% of the chorus voted for industrial action over the proposed changes, including action short of strike. All of the 30-strong WNO chorus singers are Equity members and 100% took part in the ballot.