Workers at tourist attractions across England will stage industrial action today, but the dispute will not disrupt the summer solstice celebrations at Stonehenge.
Unions engaged in a pay dispute with English Heritage acknowledge they have chosen "a key date in the English Heritage diary" to stage the action. But both parties say the strike will not disrupt the 20,000 people who are expected to watch the sun rise at Stonehenge this morning.
A spokesman for the Public and Commercial Service said: "Our guys will be there to see the sun rise and leafleting people and making them aware why they are walking out. But the action won't affect the running of the solstice celebrations because the police take over."
The PCS spokesman said other English Heritage attractions would be disrupted by a two-hour strike between 10am and noon in Northern England and another two-hour stoppage in the afternoon in the South.
This was denied by English Heritage which said in a statement: "We do not anticipate that any of our sites will have to close as a result of the walkout."
English Heritage is responsible for well-known attractions such as Hadrian's Wall, Tintagel Castle and Eltham Palace. Unions have been angered by an imposed pay deal they say is worth only 1.5% on average.
"In some cases, it amounts to 50p a day," the PCS spokesman said. "This is all against the background of funding being squeezed and seeing the focus being placed on commercial activities ... rather than more important parts of their remit like education and the maintenance of sites."
