313 Tate Staff To Lose Their Jobs

Three days ago PCS (Public & Commercial Services Union) announced that Tate Enterprises are going ahead with plans to make 313 of their staff redundant, so their response is to strike. 

PCS asked for three things...

• 10% of the expected £7mililion government support to be invested in Tate Commerce
• No redundancies, while senior staff are earning in excess of £100,000 salaries.
• That, (if the bailout money is not enough, the Tate must stand with PCS in demanding the government does more.

The strike begins tomorrow...

 

18 & 19 August

Picket lines: 9.30am Tate Britain and Tate Modern

Protest: 11am Tate Modern (Turbine entrance)

 

21 August

Picket lines: 9.30am Tate Britain and Tate Modern

Protest: 11am Tate Britain (Atterbury Street)

 

22 August

Picket lines: 9.30am Tate Britain and Tate Modern

Protest: 11am Tate Modern (Turbine entrance)

A Union rep told The Rebel magazine that artists and/or fans of the Tate staff in a position of power can help by doing anyone of the 4 things listed below. 

• They could publicly post about our strike campaign 
• Write a statement of support that we can publish through our channels
• Donate to the strike fund
• They could put us in touch with people in their network that they think might be able to support us on any of the above.

If you want to get in touch which the Union reps e-mail: harry_pye@hotmail.com and he will forward your messages on a.s.a.p

To donate money go: here  

                                 Thanks to Raksha Patel for providing the photos on this post

Treat yourself to some affordable art

"Whose A Pretty Boy Then?" is a new painting made by Harry Pye in collaboration with Rowland Smith, it could be yours for a piffling £200. Don't miss out get in contact: harry_pye@hotmail.com

Why not commission a Pye portrait?

Harry Pye graduated from Winchester School of Art in 1995. Over the years Harry's paintings have been selected for shows at; The Barbican, Calvert 22, The Discerning Eye Mall Gallery, The Bankside Gallery, The Creekside Art Gallery, and festivals such as; Elefest and Deptford X. 

 Pye's work featured in two group exhibitions at Tate Modern; Save Our Souls, and Inside Job. 

His paintings have also been exhibited in galleries in; Australia, Brazil, China, Denmark, and Estonia. Pye paintings have been sold to raise money for charities such as Art Against Knives, Break Through, Action For Children, Kids & Co, CARA, Depression Alliance, Friends of the Earth, and The National Brain Appeal. His paintings have appeared on record sleeves, posters on the underground and the cover of the Tate Staff Handbook. His work has appeared in numerous publications including; The Times, The Guardian, The Evening Standard, Frieze, and Turps Banana. His collaborative exhibition with Jasper Joffe (Joffe et Pye) was rave reviewed on BBC Radio 4. Speaking on Saturday Review, The director of the I.C.A, Ekow Eshun's response to the show was: "Intense feelings about love, loneliness and fear, anxiety, desire and hope, and ambition all come into play into these paintings. Very powerful I thought. What could have been fey, arch, or game playing was actually very warm. Harry was the winner of a Daily Mirror's Paint Tony Blair competition judged by Gilbert and George. The Week magazine said of Harry's work, "Pye's apparent naivety is accompanied by a strong sense of construction and design. Their directness and humour are appealing" And the critic Ana Finel Honigman described him as one of "London's premiere puckish artists and curators." 

 You can commission Harry to paint yourself, a loved one, a pet or someone you admire. No meeting is necessary as he'll work from photographs or j-pegs. The price of the portrait will depend on the size of the canvas. A small painting can be purchased for as little as £100 (not including postage and packing). Contact Harry at: harry_pye@hotmail.com