Prince William’s palace staff to go on strike

Prince William and wife Kate’s Kensington Palace staff may go on strike in protest against a £3,000 pay cut.

The staff, who deal with members of the public visiting the palace in central London, have been asked to accept reduced working hours, which will hit their annual earnings hard, the Sunday Times reported. The UK’s Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS) is to hold talks on a compromise deal Monday but a source close to the negotiations told the newspaper that a ballot to strike was likely to follow.

All the workers involved are uniformed wardens who are employed in the parts of the palace open to the public, protecting the exhibits and helping visitors, as well as working in the ticket office. The staff at Kensington Palace are threatening to go on strike after rejecting plans forcing them to accept a £3,000 pay cut, the report said.

One staff member was quoted as saying: “It’s in the contract that they can cut the London living allowance and they’re also cutting the starting times in the morning and the finishing times. I’ll miss it if I have to go but I just couldn’t carry on working here if it goes ahead.”

It follows a similar dispute at Windsor Castle last year — thought to be the first in the history of the monarchy, which saw staff threatening to strike over additional duties that they were being asked to take on without a pay rise. The palace, which is the London residence of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and their children Prince George and Princess Charlotte, underwent a £12 million refurbishment in 2012.