Staff at the Victoria and Albert (V&A) Museum will take further strike action amid an ongoing dispute over pay, health and safety and working conditions.
Two unions this week announced that their members at the V&A Museum charity’s flagship South Kensington site would strike on 25 and 26 September.
The latest strike action comes after workers at the charity’s satellite sites – V&A Storehouse, V&A East and Young V&A – walked out on 4 and 5 September.
Through the unions, staff are asking for an increased pay offer and for V&A to become a real living wage accredited employer and pay staff 1.5 times their normal rate for working on bank holidays.
They are calling for 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.
In addition, they want workers at V&A East Storehouse to be allowed to drink and carry water on site.
‘Some movement’ in discussions
Announcing its strike plans, the Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS) said there had been “some movement” in discussions with the charity since hundreds of its members voted for industrial action last month.
PCS said it was now entering negotiations with V&A management over the provision of water bottles “following PCS’s insistence that the issue be addressed”.
“Management has also indicated it’s open to discussing the seating issue,” the union said in a statement.
“However, there’s been no movement on pay, with management remaining adamant that it won’t improve its current offer.”
PCS’s general secretary Fran Heathcote said: “V&A workers have been left with no choice but to continue taking strike action because management has failed to properly address their important concerns.”
They added: “We expect V&A management to take this dispute seriously and get back around the table with PCS to find a resolution.”
Parallel dispute
Meanwhile, Prospect announced that its members at the museum would also strike on 25 and 26 September in a parallel dispute over pay and working conditions.
The trade union said it is coordinating the strike with PCS members, adding that it is demanding that the V&A charity offer a minimum 4% pay increase for staff earning above the living wage.
In a separate dispute with the V&A charity, Prospect reported that it secured paid breaks for collections workers at V&A Storehouse.
Mike Clancy, general secretary of Prospect, said: “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.”
The V&A charity previously expressed regret over the votes for strike action.
While it is not listed as an accredited living wage employer, a spokesperson for the charity previously said it 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.
Civil Society has contacted V&A for further comment.
