Strikes led by subcontracted workers at various museums across Barcelona resulted in the closure of four institutions during peak tourist season, El Pais reports. The strikes, which began on Tuesday and continued through Wednesday, were held in response to budget cuts which have seen the working hours of some staff reduced from 25 to nine, significantly decreasing wages. The workers, from Serveis Educatius Ciut’art (a company that provides staff for ticket sales and customer service), gathered at eight institutions for a peaceful protest against their working conditions. MACBA, Fundación Tàpies, Fundación Miró, and La Virreina Centre de la Imatge were forced to close, with protestors placing pickets around MACBA. The other four institutions – the Historical Archive of Barcelona, the Design Museum, the Monasterio de Pedralbes, and the Music Museum – operated on reduced services. MACBA and Serveis Educatius Ciut’art are currently renegotiating the conditions of the museum’s privatised services.
17 August 2017
