London Museum workers to take industrial action over pay

Workers at London Museum have voted to take industrial action in a dispute over pay.

A walkout will take place during half-term on Thursday 19 February and cover all workplaces at the museum.

Action short of a strike, including an overtime ban and the refusal of voluntary duties, will then commence on Friday 20 February and will be continuous. 

The dispute comes months before the museum is due to welcome visitors to its new Smithfield Market site, and could affect preparations for the building.

According to the union Prospect, the workers submitted a claim last March and had to wait six months before their employer put forward a pay offer in response.

Prospect said that this and two other subsequent offers were rejected by members, with the final offer, of £420 consolidated +1% then another £150 consolidated, leading to an industrial action ballot.

Prospect members voted overwhelmingly in favour of a strike, with 88% for and 12% against on a turnout of nearly 90%.

The union has accused the museum of making “misleading” claims about the size of the pay offer.

Prospect said: “As a London Living Wage (LLW) employer those on the LLW received a 5.5% pay rise in accordance with the last financial year’s rise. But this only applies to a minority of our members.

“The fact that the LLW increased by 5.3% clearly demonstrates the cost-of-living pressures members are facing, and highlights the severe financial impact on the majority who are receiving the base offer.

“Some others will have received a higher pay rise due to performance-related pay but the base level pay offer is far short of the museum’s claim. It is very misleading to suggest that many staff have received 5.5% when most are subject to a below inflation rise.”

Steve Thomas, the deputy general secretary of Prospect, said: “The museum has behaved poorly throughout the course of these negotiations with unacceptable delays and stalling tactics leaving staff increasingly out of pocket due to inflation.

“Our members have worked tirelessly for the museum as it seeks to open its new flagship site later this year. The offer which has been imposed is poor reward for such dedication and demonstrates how undervalued by their employer London Museum staff truly are.

“We do not want to take strike action. Prospect members love what they do but they feel like they are being taken advantage of.”

Thomas said, that if the museum didn’t agree to improve the offer, the Greater London Authority and City of London Corporation would “need to step in”.

The museum is due to unveil the first phase of its much-anticipated £437m redevelopment in the second half of this year.

“The next few months are going to be vital for the preparation and set up of the new site and nobody wants a pay dispute getting in the way of hitting deadlines,” said Thomas.

A statement from London Museum said: “We’ve carefully managed our finances this year so we could pay as large an award as possible to our staff.

“As a proud London Living Wage employer, this prioritised lower-paid staff who received on average an overall increase of 5.5%, whilst senior staff received on average 2.6%.

“We have given these negotiations careful consideration, prioritising the long-term care of our staff, alongside a sustainable financial position for the museum.”

Tate strike ends

Meanwhile staff at Tate have voted to accept an improved pay and conditions offer, bringing their industrial dispute to an end.

The workers have agreed to cancel a second wave of strike action planned for this month.

According to the Public and Commercial Services (PCS) union, which represents the staff involved in the dispute, the strike was ended “on the basis that the revised offer represents a significant improvement on the original proposal and the best outcome the union can expect to achieve in the circumstances”.

The revised offer includes an additional 0.6% consolidated increase, taking the total award to 3.6%. However, this element of the increase will not be backdated and will only be paid for February and March of this financial year.

PCS said that, in response to members’ concerns about this, Tate has “committed to seek to match inflation in the next pay award and has stated that it will endeavour, as part of the 2026/27 pay talks, to restore the value of the 0.6% for the remaining 10 months that were not covered this year”.

The union added that “while the consolidated pay offer still falls short of what staff deserve, it represents a 50% to 80% improvement on Tate’s original proposal”.

The workers have also secured the return of subsidised hot meals in Tate canteens, which were removed last year amid much criticism and replaced with vending machines.

Members also won the right to negotiate a new collective bargaining agreement, “with a clear commitment to expand the range of issues subject to negotiation, strengthening staff voice and workplace protections into the future”.

The new deal includes improvements to workplace conditions, such as increased holiday carry-over procedures, and consultation over exhibition scheduling and installation or deinstallation.

Tate has confirmed to PCS that the offer will be implemented in full as soon as possible.

The resolution follows seven days of strike action last November, during which more than 200 PCS members joined the picket lines.

“Our members were prepared to take further strike action, and that pressure forced the employer to come back with a far stronger offer than was originally on the table,” said PCS general secretary Fran Heathcote.

“Crucially, this dispute has delivered major, tangible wins for our members, including the return of subsidised hot meals in Tate canteens, something that was wrongly taken away last year and had a real impact on staff wellbeing. Restoring this provision is a significant victory for our members and for basic workplace dignity.

“No deal is perfect, but PCS will hold Tate to every commitment made and continue pushing for further improvements in future pay talks.”

A statement from Tate said it was “pleased that all three of our trade unions have now accepted this year’s pay award, and we look forward to a successful year ahead across Tate’s galleries”.

The development comes ahead of a change in leadership at Tate, with incumbent director Maria Balshaw due to step down in spring after nine years at the helm.