London's National Gallery, one of the capital's main visitor attractions, is set to be hit by a new wave of strike action by attendants this summer over privatization plans, the workers' union said on Tuesday.
The gallery has already been disrupted by more than 50 days of walkouts by staff since plans to tender for visitor services and security were first revealed.
The Public and Commercial Services (PCS) union said it had served notice of four more separate days of industrial action, with a continuous, all-out strike starting on Aug. 17.
Weekly walkouts by staff at the gallery in Trafalgar Square, which has over 6 million visitors a year, have forced some room closures and the cancellation of educational events.
"Our members in the National Gallery have been engaged in a heroic struggle to defend the functions of a national institution," PCS General Secretary Mark Serwotka said in a statement.
"They have taken 52 days strike action so far and are prepared to take more. Accordingly, we have served the employer with notice today of more sustained action in August."
The gallery said in a statement its modernization program was essential to make its collection as accessible to as many people as possible.
"The National Gallery needs to introduce new working practices for some visitor-facing and security staff to enable (us) to operate more flexibly," it added. "There will be no job cuts and terms and conditions will be protected."
