Following the stop work,the union said the matter would be relisted before the Industrial Relations Commission. It claimed the museum’s 200-plus staff had been left in the dark about their future work plans,the start and scope of refurbishment,and a starting date for removal of the objects – a claim Powerhouse management denied.
Unions NSW secretary Mark Morey,who attended the lunchtime rally,said museum staff had the support of the broader union movement “100 per cent”. Tensions have been rising between the unions and the Minns government after their successful pay claims.
Asked if industrial action could escalate,Morey said:“I’m not ruling anything on or off the table.” He later told protesters:“We will sit in here if we have to.”
Health Services Union boss Gerard Hayes,who brokered a historic wage rise for paramedics,also spoke at the rally in support of the PSA’s campaign,accusing Labor of walking away from a promise to keep the museum open.
The museum will open for the last time this Sunday after which its contents will be packed up,including its prized exhibits the Locomotive No. 1,the flying Catalina,and the Boulton&Watt rotative steam engine,ahead of renovation works.
The decant will take between six and eight months to complete,at which point planning approvals will have been given and construction contracts signed to allow for the start of a $250 million “heritage revitalisation”. The government says the museum will open again with improved visitor spaces in 2027.
Critics say the precious objects should remain in the original location,with works undertaken in a staged fashion.