One of London's most popular museums will be closed today and two others elsewhere in the country will offer reduced attractions because of a pay strike by workers, timed to hit the school half-term holidays.
The Science Museum would have attracted about 10,000 visitors today, but the doors will be closed and staff will mount a picket line outside.
The National Railway Museum in York and the National Museum of Photography, Film and Television in Bradford will also be hit by the strike, but will remain open to the public.
Curators, conservators, managers, security guards and other staff will take part in the action in protest at a 2.5% wage offer and cost cutting measures.
Catherine Craig, the negotiations officer for the Public and Commercial Service union, which represents some of the workers, said: "Faced with a pay offer that fails to implement previously agreed improvements to pay and grading and what amounts to a real terms pay cut for many, our members are left with no option but to strike.
"Any inconvenience caused is regrettable and we would advise people planning visits to the museums affected to visit on an alternative day."
Emily Boase, of the Prospect union, added: "World class museums do not come on the cheap, but simply relying on the goodwill of staff is no longer an option."
Lindsay Sharp, director of the National Museum of Science and Industry, which covers all three museums, said: "We are disappointed at the decision to take strike action. At the same time, we are sympathetic to the circumstances which have led many to consider this action necessary. However, we simply cannot afford to improve upon the offer."
He said the museums were consistently undervalued and underfunded by the government.
"We have invested heavily in our staff over the past few years to raise their pay from near the bottom to the median for our sector. This is just one of a difficult set of priorities we must balance in the face of the financial realities."
A note on the Science Museum's website reads: "Regrettably, the Science Museum will be closed today - Wednesday 16 February - due to industrial action by staff who are striking in a dispute over pay. We apologise for any inconvenience this will cause. The museum will be open as normal tomorrow and on all other days."
