The Royal Pavilion will be opening despite strike action on Saturday – but Brighton and Hove Museums are likely to be closed, the trust which runs them says.
About 100 employees who are members of the GMB union are set to walk out in protest at being asked to sign away the right to the same pay rises council staff are offered.
When the Brighton and Hove Museums trust took over running the city’s museums from Brighton and Hove City Council in 2018, staff were told they would be employed under the same terms and conditions.
But now the trust says that to avoid job losses, it has to make changes.
The trust’s CEO Hedley Swain said: “We are very sorry for any disruption caused to visitors, particularly over the Easter weekend. This is not a situation we wanted to reach.
“The reality is that the financial pressures we face are significant and we need to take responsible steps to protect jobs and keep our museums open long-term.
“We remain committed to working with staff and union representatives to find a way forward.”
Preston Manor is also set to open on Saturday, but the final decision on which sites will be open and which closed will be announced on the trust’s website on the day.
The trust has said that if sites do close, this will add even more financial pressure, following a period of reduced public funding, rising costs and visitor income that has not yet returned to pre-pandemic levels.
All of the trust’s sites will be open on Easter Sunday – other than Booth Museum, which is closed for restoration.
