Andrew Gwynne, Shadow Communities and Local Government Secretary, joined staff outside Bromley Central Library who are on strike over cuts to their services.
Workers at 14 libraries across the borough of Bromley, in South London, voted to go on strike in June to protest against low pay and increased workloads.
Staff at the libraries have been in a long term dispute with employers Greenwich Leisure Limited (GLL), with 98% of the 50 staff voting to take action.
The strike was organised by the trade union Unite and demands a pay boost and redress for unpaid wages owed to some workers.
Andrew Gwynne said:
“I was proud to stand with the Bromley library staff and support them in their fight for better pay and working conditions.
“Library staff across the country play such a vital role in our communities and should be treated with the respect that they are due.
“Unfortunately, recent years have seen both budgets and services cut – this is bad news not just for library staff but also the many millions across the UK who rely on the service that they provide.”
Unite regional officer Onay Kasab said:
“We regret the inconvenience this will cause the public, but this strike has been a long time coming caused by the profit-hungry GLL with a management committed to ruthlessly salami-slicing our members’ pay and employment conditions.”
