Some staff at the National Railway museum are joining the strike

Staff who are members of the Prospect union are taking action on Wednesday in protest at a 2.5% wage offer and cost-cutting measures.

The National Railway Museum in York and Bradford's Museum of Photography, Film and Television will still be open.

Museum officials say they cannot afford to improve the offer.

Disappointed by decision

Curators, conservators, security staff and some managers are set to take part in the action.

Emily Boase of the Prospect union said: "World-class museums do not come on the cheap, but simply relying on the goodwill of staff is no longer an option."

Dr Lindsay Sharp, director of the National Museum of Science and Industry, which covers both of the museums and the Science Museum in London which is also affected said he understood the staff's grievances.

"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 claimed that museums faced " a consistent undervaluing and under funding of science, technology, engineering, mathematics and medicine" 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.