Welsh National Opera Chorus Vote For Strike Action

The chorus of the Welsh National Opera (WNO) have voted for industrial action by 93% on a turnout of 100% in a dispute over jobs and pay. The chorus members, who belong to the performing arts and entertainment trade union Equity, have also voted for action short of strike. 

Equity is calling for meaningful talks to resolve the dispute and avoid strike action from hitting upcoming performances. Currently, WNO chorus members are facing at least a 15% cut to their pay, a reduction in contracted hours despite their high workload of performances and rehearsals, and a cut to the overall number of chorus members. Compulsory redundancies are a real threat in a chorus that is already under resourced.

Equity has 100% of the 30-strong WNO chorus in membership, with any potential industrial action able to cause serious disruption to performances. A majority of the chorus have been at WNO for over a decade and have never taken strike action before. 

Paul W Fleming, Equity General Secretary, said: “This ballot result is a resounding vote of no confidence in Welsh National Opera management and shows that chorus members will not take their disastrous cuts. Our members are tired of being told to be resilient, and just get by. This is a resounding vote for resistance to management's willing acceptance of the political choice of austerity.

“WNO must go back to the drawing board on these unjust proposals and engage in a process which protects the full-time status of our members and recognises the huge value this highly skilled workforce bring to the reputation of the company and to its work.”

Claire Hampton, Equity deputy (workplace representative) and Soprano who has been in the WNO chorus for 22 years, says: 

"My colleagues and I voted in favour of taking strike action and action short of strike, reflecting our dismay at proposals to cut our salaries and contract length. This was not an easy decision for any of us to take, but we have been left with no choice as we face the devastating impact that proposed changes will have on our income. 

"If management are unwilling to negotiate an improved offer, we are committed to taking action to protect our jobs. This disruption can be avoided by meeting our simple and achievable demands for a full-time contract, fair treatment, adequate resources and respect for the work that we do."

Almost 76% of the chorus say that WNO management's proposals would have a high or significant impact on their personal finances, according to an Equity survey collected in May 2024. Meanwhile, 78% of the chorus say that they may have to leave the WNO. Such is the precarity of the chorus' situation, that over half (56%) say they would have to leave the industry altogether, while a further third (32%) say that they may have to. 

In July, Musicians' Union members in the WNO orchestra also voted overwhelmingly in favour of potential strike action over similar cuts and proposals from management. 

WNO management continue to cite ongoing financial difficulties caused by substantial cuts to their funding from both Arts Council England (ACE) and Arts Council of Wales (ACW). However, Equity and its members have been clear from the start. We will not accept compulsory redundancies or the desire of WNO management to make contracts ‘flexible' solely to their own advantage, while adding the precarity of an unsustainable cut to chorus members' basic earnings.