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WORKERS pledged yesterday to make a noise at the Royal Albert Hall after the famous concert venue snubbed a majority vote for union recognition.
Staff voted 117-109 for recognition of entertainment union Bectu, with more than 72 per cent taking part in last month’s ballot.
But the hall, which plans to set up a “staff forum” to head off the unionisation drive, wrote to workers on September 11 — five weeks after the ballot result was announced — telling them there would be no collective bargaining.
Chief executive Chris Cotton said the vote “demonstrated that Bectu does not have the support of the majority of the employees within the hall, with only 37.5 per cent in favour of union recognition and 62.5 per cent either against or abstaining.”
That was despite agreeing with the union and conciliation service Acas before the ballot that a simple majority of those taking part would be enough to approve recognition.
Bectu general secretary Gerry Morrissey wrote back to say: “No amount of spin, nuance, or interpretation of other letters … can change this inescapable fact — the Royal Albert Hall agreed the rules and are now seeking to change the rules.
“Presumably because they didn’t get the result they wanted.
“We never considered that the legitimate and democratic vote of Royal Albert Hall staff would be rejected by management.
“It should be clear that Bectu will do everything in its power, both industrially and politically, to ensure that the voice of staff, reflected in the vote for Bectu recognition, is heard.”
