WNO chorus votes in favour of further industrial action

Performing arts and entertainment union Equity has announced that its members in the Welsh National Opera chorus have again voted in favour of industrial action. The decision is the result of a re-ballot of the chorus who will continue to take action short of strike from 9 April onwards. 

The re-ballot allows the chorus to continue industrial action in its dispute with WNO management over proposals to cut the size of the full-time chorus, and make unsustainable cuts to their terms and conditions after its original six-month mandate for action expired. WNO Equity members voted 95 per cent in favour of action short of strike and 91 per cent in favour of strike action on a 100 per cent turnout. 

Equity’s Wales official Simon Curtis said: ’We have been clear from the very start of this dispute: the chorus will not accept compulsory redundancies. This would equate to a career-ending scenario if they remain in Wales, where opportunities for professional singers are virtually non-existent. We urge WNO management to reassess their business plan and budget given recent financial developments – including Arts Council of Wales (ACW) Resilience Funding, an increased ACW budget for 2025/6, and potential discussions around direct Welsh Government support – and not make cuts that would harm the livelihoods of the workforce and quality of the WNO’s opera provision.’ 

The chorus, represented by Equity, have been taking industrial action since last summer. Previous action short of a strike has included wearing union t-shirts during performances, making speeches during curtain call and leafleting audiences.