A five-day strike by staff at the National Gallery in London, UK, began today (Tuesday), causing the closure of some parts of the museum and cancelling or postponement of educational events.

The National Gallery apologised for the disturbance to its services in a statement, and referred people to its website for up-to-date information on the closures before deciding to travel to the attraction.

In an ongoing dispute, members of the Public and Commercial Services (PCS) union are protesting against the National Gallery’s plans to privatise visitor services. About 250 staff have joined the strike, which is scheduled to last until 7 February.

PCS general secretary Mark Serwotka has said: "The sell-off plan is reckless and risks damaging the worldwide reputation of what is one of the UK's greatest cultural assets, and we are determined to stop it.”

In the official statement from the gallery, it says it's undertaken a broad programme of modernisation to bring its content to a wider audience. It accuses the PCS union of failing to share the same aspirations.

“In order to allow these plans to be implemented we need to introduce a new roster for some visitor facing and security staff to enable the National Gallery to operate more flexibly,” the statement said. “The PCS union leadership oppose these changes and, despite months of dialogue, we have not been able to reach any agreement with them.

“During these discussions, we proposed not only to meet the London living wage, but also to pay a basic salary in excess of it,” it says. “As a result, the National Gallery will now appoint an external partner to manage these services. There will be no job cuts and terms and conditions will be protected. The National Gallery is one of the last major national UK museums to take this step.

“We believe the proposed changes are essential … to remain as one of the world’s leading art galleries. It is unfortunate the PCS union do not share this aspiration with us.”

The gallery said Rooms 9, 10, 12, 51 – 66, the Central Hall, Room 1 and the Sunley Room are open, as well as the National Gallery dining rooms, café and the shops. The Orange Street Entrance is closed.