WORKERS at the Tower of London and Hampton Court Palace have described a below-inflation pay offer from Historic Royal Palaces (HRP) as a “towering insult.”  

The GMB union criticised the 3 per cent cost-of-living increase saying the roughly 1,000 staff at the two sites have been subjected to years of subinflationary increases.

There have also been staff cuts, recruitment freezes, role changes, increased workloads and the removal of allowances and bonuses, it said.

The union said that workers had reported their rent and service charges rising by 4.3 per cent this year alone.

GMB regional organiser Matthew Wright said: “The irony of working to preserve our nation’s treasures while being offered royally low pay is not lost on them.

“They have endured years of doing more for less and they are not prepared to accept it any longer.”

HRP was contacted for comment.