The Royal institution has been around for many centuries now, the British Monarchy, which has been one of the few monarchies to have survive in the ever changing and evolving constitution is now facing a massive outcry. Problems with the staff has risen after the pandemic has made it entirely impossible for tourists to visit the Buckingham palace for public tours.
Royal experts have already commented on the money that the palace is losing as the pandemic continues. Buckingham palace itself has hundreds of employees, and without money coming in the palace is now letting go of hundreds of employees.
The Royal Collection Trust (RCT) staff are the employees in the palace that takes care of the art as well as the public tours.
102 of the staffs has already taken a voluntary redundancy but according to royal officials, it is possible that another 200 will have to take a compulsory redundancy.
The staff has staged a protest outside the Buckingham Palace, demanding ‘loyalty’ from their employers.
A sign carried by one of the staff read ‘King Henry cut off heads... now they want to axe our jobs and cut our pensions’.
Those who are fortunate enough to keep their job will have to suffer a 7% cut to their non-contributory pensions.
Industrial officer at Public and Commercial Service Union (PCS), Mark Page, has commented on the issue, "Loyal staff members should not be facing threats like this. Even acknowledging the pandemic, vulnerable staff believe the Royal Household has enough assets to ride out the financial storm having had record numbers of ticket sales and retail sales in recent years. Profits directly attributed to the very department the Royal Household is now penalising."
The PCS represents the Royal Collection Trust employees.
An RCT representative also released a statement wherein they pointed out that the situation would not get to this point if only the palace furloughed the staff in the earlier months.
But it has been revealed that back in May, Lord Chamberlain Earl Peerl, the most senior official of the royal household has warned the staff members that in the coming months, due to the pandemic, there were to be losses.
At that time a Buckingham Palace official also released a statement, citing that the whole country will be impacted financially and that the royal household is no exception.
Queen Elizabeth is said to be well aware of the situation, the Queen is currently in Balmoral in Scotland but will be heading back to Sandringham by the end of this week.