Workers at V&A’s London sites to take strike action next month

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

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

Both unions have announced two days of strike action on 4 and 5 September. The strike will cover all satellite V&A sites in London, including the V&A East Storehouse, V&A East Museum and Young V&A, but not the main site in South Kensington.

It comes after a month-long ballot of PCS members working across all of the V&A’s London sites saw 95% back strike action, and almost 98% vote for industrial action short of a strike.

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

Prospect members are also demanding that the V&A improves food provision at V&A East sites.

A separate dispute involving heatwave-related working conditions at the V&A East Storehouse was resolved earlier this month when the museum agreed to offer paid breaks to collections workers.

However, PCS members are demanding that the V&A take broader action to deal with extreme heat, and have called for the museum to “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.”

Mike Clancy, the general secretary of Prospect, said: “Our members love their jobs and don’t want to take strike action, but they have been left with no choice by a senior management which refuses to take their very reasonable demands seriously.

“We have participated in Acas talks to try and resolve the dispute but we need a credible, improved offer to take to our members. That has not been forthcoming.

“Directors at V&A continue to demonstrate their lack of respect for the very people who make the museum what it is – its dedicated, highly qualified staff. 

“The V&A can still avoid this strike, but it needs actual effort to meet our terms and for senior management to demonstrate that they are serious about wanting to find a solution to this dispute.”

Claims disputed

The claims made by the two unions 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, pay rises, 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 PCS to go through its heatwave response plan in detail, but that this was declined.

However, PCS says this is not the case. A spokesperson for the union told Museums Journal: “PCS disputes the claim that it declined a meeting with the V&A regarding its heatwave response plan. On the contrary, PCS has requested that the employer meet with the union in line with the agreed dispute resolution process, as this issue is the subject of a formal dispute. The V&A has declined those requests and is not engaging through the agreed dispute resolution process.”

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.”

Update
25.08.2026

Article updated to include a statement from PCS about negotiations related to the heatwave response policy, as well as new information about strike dates and the involvement of Prospect members in the industrial action.