Treatment of security staff employed at the National Gallery
Tabled 1 September 2026 by John McDonnell
That this House is deeply concerned that the National Gallery’s security staff, of whom the vast majority are from minority ethnic backgrounds, are being unfairly treated compared to the mainly white staff employed directly by the National Gallery; notes that directly employed staff enjoy a six-star staff hub with bright and airy recreation rooms for their breaks, while outsourced guards employed by CIS Security are forced to use a windowless unventilated basement storage area; regrets the effect of creating a two-tier workforce where BAME staff are literally kept hidden away among broken furniture, dirty walls and continuing rodent problems; recognises that both the National Gallery and CIS Security are London Living Wage employers and that when they gained accreditation, the National Gallery backdated the uplift for six months, while CIS Security did not; and joins the PCS union in calling on the gallery to ensure its security staff receive equal treatment to the directly employed staff, be given access to the staff hub, receive back pay on the same line as the National Gallery staff they work alongside, and to receive the uplift at the same time of year, rather than waiting six months each year.