In August, about 200 members of the Public and Commercial Services (PCS) union began an indefinite strike, which has led to “limited public access” to some areas of gallery. “I’m very hopeful that the strikes will come to an end quite quickly,” director Gabriele Finaldi said at his first press conference on Tuesday. “I think that would be good for the public and our staff and for the gallery’s image too. Above all we want to return to our normal operation.”