Welsh National Opera musicians accept deal after part-time proposals dropped

Musicians from the Welsh National Opera (WNO) orchestra have said that they are putting a year of industrial action behind them after voting to accept a deal that ends the threat of players being placed on part-time employment contracts.

Members of the Musicians’ Union (MU) have been campaigning since last summer over plans to reduce the number of weeks they work, which would equate to a 15% pay cut.

The full details of the deal have not been disclosed, but the MU said the agreement has “achieved both goals” of keeping the orchestra full time and avoiding the 15% pay reduction.

While the new agreement protects existing jobs, the orchestra will lose around 10 seats that are currently vacant.

Announcing the deal, the union’s general secretary Naomi Pohl stressed that the negotiations had been cooperative. She praised WNO’s leadership team – Adele Thomas and Sarah Crabtree – as being “more collaborative and positive than the MU have ever known it”.

She added that the pair, who took up post in January, are “fighting to retain a full-time performing company”.

‘Not out of the woods yet’

Despite welcoming the decision, MU members warned that WNO is still in a “fragile position overall” and expressed solidarity with Equity members in the chorus, who are also campaigning to retain their full-time roles as the company navigates a difficult funding environment.

Last month, its chorus voted to continue industrial action following a re-ballot of the ongoing dispute over proposed job cuts, terms, and conditions.

“We know we are not out of the woods yet,” said Pohl.

“This is an incredibly difficult time for the arts in the UK, and the opera sector has been especially hard hit, with WNO disproportionately affected and facing significant ongoing financial challenges.”

ACW saw its annual income from Arts Council England cut from £6.24m a year to £4m a year for 2023-26. Meanwhile, the organisation has said the £4.1m it receives from Arts Council Wales each year represents a 10% cut against its application for standstill funding.

WNO ceased performances in Liverpool soon after the reduction of ACE funding and cancelled planned tours to Bristol and Llandudno, citing financial challenges.

‘Incredibly challenging year’

“This has been an incredibly challenging year for the whole company,” said MU national organiser for orchestras Jo Laverty, who commended orchestra committee members and union stewards for spending “countless hours” in negotiations..

“We are aware that there are challenges still to come, but what we have achieved here is some stability for the orchestra over the coming year, a better agreement and a constructive working relationship with WNO management, which we have faith will continue.”

MU and player committee member Llinos Owen said that the result provided “some much-needed assurances” for current players and put the prospect of moving to a part-time orchestra “off the table”.

She added that the new contracts will enable the orchestra to be “more firmly embedded in the communities”.

“Whilst this marks the end of our industrial action, we are acutely aware that there have been job losses for many of our friends and colleagues across the company, and that the chorus are currently facing compulsory redundancies.

“The orchestra has lost 10 posts since 2020, and WNO has sustained particularly hard-hitting cuts to its public funding, reducing the number of performances we are able to give to our audiences.

“As we put this period of industrial action behind us, we can now work together with our new passionate and innovative general directors to campaign positively for more sustainable funding for WNO, the opera sector and the arts in general, so that we can continue to have secure employment, performing world class work across Wales, England and internationally.”