From Factory to Gallery: The Strikes That Built Tate

When we walk through the grand halls of Tate Britain or Tate Modern, we see bold canvases, striking installations and the cultural pulse of a nation. What we don’t often see is the labour behind it. Not just the curators or the artists in the spotlight, but the cleaners, the security staff, the technicians and educators.. the invisible hands that keep the lights on and the doors open.

From 26 November to 2 December 2025, workers across Tate’s galleries in London, Liverpool and St Ives will undertake a week-long strike, following a 98% vote in favour of industrial action. At the centre of this strike is a demand for fairness. Staff have rejected a pay rise of just 2–3%, citing in-work poverty and the escalating cost of living. But this action is not just about numbers it is about visibility, value and the deeper ecosystem that allows art to thrive.

The Hidden Ties Between Sugar and Art

To understand the full circle of this moment, we must go back in time. The Tate Gallery, founded in 1897, owes its existence to Henry Tate, a sugar magnate who built his fortune through the Tate sugar refinery. He donated both funds and his personal art collection to establish the gallery. Meanwhile, Abram Lyle, founder of Lyle’s Golden Syrup, created the other half of what would later become Tate & Lyle in 1921.

Henry Tate’s name now sits atop the UK’s most iconic art institutions. His wealth from sugar refining became culture. Yet it was the workers inside those refineries, like the Tate & Lyle factory in Silvertown, who powered that empire. Among them was Nick Fraser.

Nick Fraser: The Forgotten Worker, The Hidden Artist

Nick Fraser, born in East London in 1946, spent over 30 years working at the Tate & Lyle factory. Nick lived a quiet and humble life, devoting himself to caring for his mother while secretly creating a vast body of artwork. His paintings are emotional, spiritual, symbolic and often created using household paints, acrylics and hardboard. 

What is less known is that Nick also went on strike during his time at the factory. Like the Tate workers now, he stood up for better rights, dignity and community. When management sought to strip away workers’ protections, Nick joined his colleagues in protest. His canvases may have been private, but his values were collective.

Silence in the Halls of Power

I believed Nick’s story, one of a man who worked in the very factories that funded the Tate’s foundations, would resonate with the gallery that bears his employer’s name. I reached out to the Tate, hoping for a conversation or even a simple acknowledgment.

Sadly, apart from a warm response from a front-of-house receptionist, my emails and follow-ups have gone unanswered.The irony is hard to ignore. A man who served the Tate & Lyle factory for decades, whose artistic legacy is deeply tied to the same working-class roots, finds no home within the cultural institution born from the same fortune.

Why This Strike Matters

The current Tate strike shines a light on how cultural institutions can sometimes fail the very people who hold them up. Reductions in benefits, pension cuts for new hires and an increasing workload for front-line staff all reflect a widening gap between leadership and labour.

But this issue extends beyond Tate. Reports show that fewer than 10% of UK arts workers come from working-class backgrounds. Many internships in the creative industries remain unpaid. We must ask: what kind of culture are we building if we do not recognise the people who make it possible?

A Legacy That Lives On

Nick Fraser painted because he had too. Because it gave voice to emotions that otherwise had no place to go. He never asked for recognition. But now, as we fight for fair pay and visibility across the sector, his story stands as a quiet protest.

He reminds us that art can come from anywhere. From council flats, from the backs of factories, from protests and from silence.

Resources and Support

If you’re an artist, creative worker or cultural practitioner who feels unseen, these resources may help:

• We Are Unlimited – Nothing for Nothing: Tools for marginalised creatives to challenge unpaid labour.

• Creative Unions in the UK: A list of unions to help protect your rights as a creative worker.

• Artists as Workers Report: A look into working conditions for under-represented artists.

• Access to Work Guide: Support for disabled creatives in the cultural sector.

  
  

Marcus O'Shaughnessy

Founder,

Imaginative Reaction

Curator of the Nick Fraser Archive