The FDA, with the other unions representing staff in the National Museum of Wales and National Library of Wales, has written to the leaders of the major political parties in the Senedd. The letter outlines the financial challenges faced by both institutions but also calls on them to commit in their 2021 election manifestos to a new funding model “to allow both institutions to thrive and secure their long term futures. A funding model to support Welsh culture and protect Welsh jobs”.

The unions argue in the letter that “both institutions are part of the fabric of the cultural history of Wales and must be protected for future generations. A one-off injection of cash, while welcome, will not address the long term problems caused by structural deficits.”

FDA Wales National Officer Gareth Hills said: “The scale of the financial deficits at Wales’s leading cultural institutions jeopardises the completion of vital building maintenance work, threatens the delivery of projects to digitise content and improve the accessibility of national collections to citizens across Wales, and puts jobs at risk.

“That’s why we are calling on party leaders to ensure that their 2021 election manifestos include a commitment to introduce a new, improved, and sustainable funding model in order to secure the long term futures of the Museum and Library”.

You can read the letters in full in English here and in Welsh here.