It takes a lot of courage to go on strike. And our members at ENO will be the first Musicians' Union members to go on strike in 44 years. Image credit: Jonathan Stewart © The MU.
Musicians in the orchestra and music staff at English National Opera (ENO) are going on strike on Thursday 1 February.
They'll also be taking action short of strike on Tuesday 30 January and on more dates to be announced soon.
It takes a lot of courage to go on strike. And our members at ENO will be the first Musicians' Union members to go on strike in 44 years.
Share your solidarity:
- Download social media graphics or a poster for you to print and take a photo with
- Share it with a message of solidarity on social media using the hashtag #WeAreENO
Thanks to everyone who has shared messages of solidarity so far.
ENO musicians are calling for enough work to live on
MU members are taking action in response to plans by ENO management to fire them and re-hire them for just six months a year.
Some musicians in the orchestra are not even being offered that.
Musicians and music staff need to be able to stay together, work together consistently and be paid enough to live on.
That’s why we’re calling on ENO management to guarantee:
- An equal offer to all orchestra members
- Enough work to live on
- First refusal on work in Manchester
- Decent pay for music staff
As MU General Secretary Naomi Pohl explains in this TikTok video, "The performers' contracts are being cut down to six months per year. Nobody can live on a six month salary. And it's very difficult for them to find work in the remaining six months when they've got a really intensive schedule in their six months at English National Opera."
Find out more about what’s happening at English National Opera, including why members are going on strike and how the news was covered by the BBC, Guardian, Telegraph and others.