Staff members at the Victoria and Albert (V&A) Museum charity have voted for strike action amid ongoing pay negotiations and concerns about working conditions.
The Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS) announced today that over 95% of its members – working across the charity’s London sites including the flagship museum in South Kensington – had backed industrial action in a ballot.
PCS began balloting its 332 members at the charity last month and started a petition to culture secretary Lisa Nandy and V&A directors asking for “fair pay and safe working conditions”.
The union called on the charity to become an accredited London living wage employer and offer time-and-a-half pay to staff on bank holidays.
It also said its members were “furious over health and safety issues in many of the museum’s London sites”, with a particular concern about working conditions during heatwaves.
PCS said at the V&A East Storehouse in Hackney, London, “workers aren’t allowed to drink or carry water, no matter how hot they are”.
No strike dates have been announced but PCS general secretary Fran Heathcote said the vote for potential industrial action “sends a very clear message to V&A management”.
“Our members will not accept being undervalued, ignored or put at risk at work,” they said.
“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.”
A spokesperson for the V&A previously told Civil Society that its offer amounted to “a 3.6% increase in the overall pay bill, an above-inflation pay award as a minimum, and 6.9% increase for our lowest-paid colleagues”.
While the V&A is not listed as an accredited living wage employer, the spokesperson said the charity had “maintained our long-standing commitment to paying at least the London living wage”.
They said the charity ensured its employees had access to water, toilet facilities and regular breaks at work and had implemented “extensive measures” to support them during the recent heatwaves.
However, the spokesperson said food and drink were not permitted during “order an object” appointments at the V&A East Storehouse – which is air-conditioned and a working collections store – “to ensure the safety and security of national collections”.
The V&A has been contacted for further comment.
