Please come along if you can - our numbers are very small at the moment.
It is important to show the council that users as well as library staff want this dispute resolved.


Friends of Hackney Libraries

Resolve the pay dispute Pay library staff what they are due Open libraries again on Saturdays

The Council no longer wishes to pay library staff the enhanced pay-rates for Saturday working to which they are entitled. Library workers have been on strike on Saturdays since last autumn and the public has been unable to use the libraries on these days.

Friends of Hackney Libraries urges the Council to resolve the dispute with library staff by agreeing to pay the enhanced pay-rate for Saturday working and to show that it values its staff and cares about the needs of library users.


Library workers are entitled to receive the nationally agreed pay rates which were included in their staff contracts. During the dispute the Council has been saving money while the staff suffer financially.

Library users are losing out with the closure of libraries on Saturdays.

For many working people, Saturday is one of the few, if not the only, time they are able to visit. Libraries provide valuable spaces and facilities for children and young people to use at the weekend. Since last autumn, we have seen many people, often young children, who have turned up to use the library and have been very disappointed that it is closed.

The Council's record of recruitment and retention of library staff is not good. There are currently many vacancies and experienced and valuable staff are leaving Hackney's library service to work in neighbouring boroughs where enhanced pay-rates are still given. This reduction in pay will only exacerbate the problem at a time when measures to improve staffing levels are desperately needed. Users suffer when the service is under-staffed and the remaining staff are put under pressure - services are subject to temporary closure and standards of service are lower.

With the opening of the new library at the Technology and Learning Centre, we challenge the Council to demonstrate its commitment to libraries by paying staff what they are due and by making a fully functional library service their priority.

Friends of Hackney Libraries is open to anyone interested in the long-term future of libraries in Hackney. Our objectives are to maintain and improve library services in recognition of the vitally important role that libraries play in the provision of diverse educational, informational and recreational needs.

Contact:  friends_hackney_libraries@yahoo.co.uk or 8806 6272 for more information about Friends of Hackney Libraries or to join the email group.