Workers at V&A’s London sites vote in favour of strike action 

Some workers at the Victoria & Albert Museum’s (V&A) London sites are preparing to take to the picket line after voting in favour of strike action.

Members of the Public and Commercial Services (PCS) Union are involved in a dispute with the V&A over pay, health and safety, working conditions and “the way management engages with staff”.

A month-long ballot of PCS members working across the V&A’s London sites, including South Kensington, V&A East Storehouse, V&A East Museum and Young V&A, saw 95% back strike action, and almost 98% vote for industrial action short of a strike.

The union members are demanding that V&A negotiates a better pay offer for staff on Band 6 and above; becomes a Real Living Wage-accredited employer; and pays staff 1.5 times their normal rate for working on bank holidays.

A separate dispute involving heatwave-related working conditions at the V&A East Storehouse was resolved earlier this month.

However, PCS members are demanding that the V&A “agree a cross-site policy to close public spaces when temperatures reach 30 degrees, to protect staff and visitors, and discuss appropriate heat mitigation measures for back-of-house staff”.

They want the institution to allow workers at the East Storehouse to drink and carry water at work, and say the V&A management team must meet regularly with PCS representatives to discuss issues affecting members.

The union says issues such as access to water, working safely during extreme temperatures and adequate measures to protect staff and visitors “must be treated as fundamental workplace responsibilities, rather than afterthoughts”.

PCS says it has “repeatedly sought meaningful engagement” with V&A management regarding these issues but that workers' concerns have been “dismissed”.

Fran Heathcote, the general secretary of PCS, said: “This overwhelming vote sends a very clear message to V&A management: our members will not accept being undervalued, ignored or put at risk at work. They are demanding fair pay, safe working conditions and a proper voice in the workplace, and they have shown they are prepared to take action to get them.

“Management needs to stop shutting the door on its own staff and start negotiating seriously. The ball is firmly in the V&A’s court.”

The union’s claims are disputed by the V&A, which says it has already met the majority of staff demands, including the 1.5 bank holiday pay rate and improved catering for staff across all sites equivalent to the offer available at South Kensington.

The museum says it provides access to hydration throughout the East Storehouse building, with a water fountain on every floor, and has enacted extensive heatwave mitigations across all of its sites. However it says food and drink are not permitted on the storehouse floor or during Order an Object appointments to ensure the safety and security of objects.

Museums Journal understands that the V&A previously offered to meet with the union to go through its heatwave response plan in detail, but that this was declined.

The institution says it is continuing its longstanding commitment to pay at least the London Living Wage to all staff, and has committed to reviewing London Living Wage accreditation by December this year.  

A statement from the V&A said: “We deeply regret that the trade unions have voted for strike action. We have been negotiating with them in good faith since February and have met the majority of their demands with a significantly improved offer, which we believe is fair, competitive and affordable.

“We value our staff enormously and remain fully committed to providing safe, supportive working environments in all our museums. Our latest pay offer delivers a pay rise well above inflation for all staff, with an average 4.18% pay rise and a 6.9% increase for our lowest-paid colleagues; a bank holiday pay rate increase to 1.5, alongside a sector-leading bonus scheme; our longstanding commitment to paying at least the London Living Wage and a subsidised food offer at all of our sites.

“All our staff have regular breaks and access to drinking fountains on each floor is provided at V&A East Storehouse, which has an air-cooling system. Extensive heatwave mitigations have also been put in place across our museums.

“We are currently assessing the likely impact of any future industrial action on our operations and advise visitors to check our website for the latest updates.”

PCS says it will announce further details of any industrial action in due course.