English National Opera employees, comprising the chorus section, orchestra members, and music staff, have unanimously agreed to strike action at the start of February. This move was made in response to downsizing plans in both the company's funding and workforce, BBC Reports.
The Reasoning Behind the ENO Members' Strike
ENO staff specifically plans to walk out during the opening night of "The Handmaid's Tale" production, which will consequently cancel the show's performance if ever the strike action is followed through.
Of the ensuing action, The Musicians' Union and Equity explained that the company was set to lay off 19 orchestra regulars and in exchange make other employees work part-time, which would effectively compromise the affected members' ability to earn a livelihood.
This move was unanimously voted for in a ballot system organized by Equity, of which the employees are members. For the Musicians' Union members, the vote resulted in 92% of them being in favor of the planned strike.
The ENO management's decision to enforce workforce cuts occurred following a reduction in funding from the Arts Council decided last year, pushing the company to limit this current year's opera season.
This upcoming strike marks the end of the Musicians' Union and Equity members' streak in terms of not engaging in such action for over four decades.
For the General Secretary of the union Naomi Pohl, the unanimity behind the vote was "a sign of extremely difficult times for the orchestral sector and opera and ballet in particular."
"The management has decided to cut our members down to six months of work per year and this risks a wonderful, talented, and specialist orchestra dissipating. It is heartbreaking to see the impact on the individuals affected," she continued.
In response, ENO released a statement of its own last Wednesday, Jan. 17, saying that the issues "could be best resolved around the negotiation table."
It continued by saying, while it "respects" the union members' right to hold the strike action, ENO as accompany was "disappointed" for the members that would miss out on the orchestra's production in light of the ensuing strike.
