Equity members in the chorus of the Welsh National Opera have paused their strike action.

The strikes were set for Sept. 21 and 29, 2024, but the plan was halted following conversations with Welsh National Opera management this past week. No deal has been struck, but now the two sides will have more time for further discussion and members voted on Sept. 17 to pause strike action.

Nonetheless, there is still a planned strike on Oct. 11, 2024. Additionally, the chorus members will be leafleting the public outside the Sept. 21 performance of “Rigoletto.” They will also join in action short of a strike in support of the Welsh National Opera’s orchestra on Saturday, Sept. 21.

“We’re encouraged by recent positive engagement from WNO management so far, which is why our members made the decision to pause strike action,” said Equity Wales Official Simon Curtis in an official press release. “However, we are not out of the woods yet and an agreement ensuring the jobs and livelihoods of the chorus has not been reached. Our desire throughout this process has been to work with the Board and management, and we hope to continue in constructive discussions with management in the coming weeks. In addition, we call on the WNO’s Board to meet with us so they can better understand the circumstances of our members and the impact of the proposals that they support being put in place. Meanwhile, the concerns of the chorus will continue to be heard through action short of strike, and the strike mandate remains live – meaning full strike action is still possible and will go ahead as planned on the 11 October if sufficient progress is not made.”

The chorus’ actions came in reaction to the Welsh National Opera management proposing to cut the size and hours of the hours of the chorus while also calling for a 15 percent pay cut. Equity is calling for full-time wages, a full-time chorus, and no compulsory redundancies, which were a possibility under management’s plan.