Kelvingrove museum and The Burrell Collection closed as strike action continues

Unison members have walked out for five days over planned job cuts, with 38 roles at risk.

Picket lines were formed outside the two venues, and Glasgow Life, which runs culture and leisure services for the council, has taken the decision to shut the buildings. Glasgow Museums Resource Centre, which along with Kelvingrove museum was also closed on Monday, is shut on Tuesday too.

A spokesperson for Glasgow Life said venues will be assessed daily before decisions on closures are made. They are “anticipating ongoing disruption” throughout the week.

Brian Smith, Unison Glasgow Secretary, said: “The strike is very well supported and the impact is clear. These workers are taking a stand to defend both themselves and the city’s world class museums.

“Unison calls on Glasgow City Council’s political leaders to intervene and provide the funding required to resolve this dispute.”

Union members are also planning to protest outside a council meeting on Thursday morning.

They voted to walkout due to plans to cut £1.5m from the museums and collection service. Curators, conservators, outreach assistants, digital photographers and technicians are among the roles affected.

Glasgow Life has said it needs to make over £7m of savings after the council cut its service fee when setting a budget earlier this year.

The spokesperson said: “Due to strike action by Unison, Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum, The Burrell Collection and Glasgow Museums Resource Centre will be closed to the public today.

“We will post further updates on our website and social media channels, and our museums will reopen as normal on Saturday, October 28. We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause.”

Glasgow Life previously said the planned cuts, which “were approved by the council”, are “a direct consequence of the continued pressures on public sector finances”.

It added the savings “add up to around 9% of our annual service fee from the council and ensure none of our facilities will have to close”.

“Wherever possible, we have identified ways of making savings by reducing, rather than losing, Glasgow Life services, programmes and events; retaining the potential to rebuild them in the future.”

Unison has held protests at museums in recent months and, in a paper sent to all Glasgow councillors, warned the cuts would be “both incredibly irresponsible and a high-profile accident waiting to happen”.