Workers at the Victoria and Albert Museum are set to vote on strike action over soaring temperatures, lack of access to drinking water, and pay. The Public and Commercial Services Union launched the ballot on July 23, citing “serious and unresolved concerns affecting staff across the museum.”
Four London Sites Involved
More than 300 workers at four London locations – the South Kensington branch, V&A East Museum, V&A East Storehouse, and the Young V&A in Bethnal Green – will vote on whether to strike ahead of what is expected to be London’s fourth heatwave of the year. The sites attract over 3.3 million visitors annually.
Workers at the Stratford location have reported they cannot carry water with them. One worker said: “A lack of convenient access to water has caused me to become dehydrated at work many times and in one instance caused me to faint on my way home from work.” Another staff member added that their health and safety had been “at best an afterthought and at worst actively ignored.”
Union Demands
In addition to a minimum 4% pay rise, the union is calling for public areas across all four sites to be closed when temperatures reach 30°C or higher, heat mitigation measures for back-of-house workers, and permission for V&A Storehouse staff to carry water in exhibit areas. Currently, workers at Stratford must wait for a colleague to relieve them to get a drink.
The union also wants the V&A to become an accredited living wage employer in London. Currently, only the V&A Dundee branch, which is not part of the ballot, holds that accreditation. The V&A has confirmed all its staff are paid at least £14.80 an hour – the London living wage – but some outsourced contractors are not, according to the Guardian.
Nick Marro, the culture secretary at PCS, said: “PCS members at the V&A are balloting for strike action because enough is enough. Management refuses to let staff carry or drink water while they work, refuses to become a London living wage accredited employer. At the same time, it claims it cannot afford a decent pay rise for staff. This is an employer that is failing the very people who keep one of Britain’s most prestigious museums running. It’s unfair, it’s unsafe and our members are prepared to fight back.”
V&A Response
The ballot closes on July 29. A spokesperson for the V&A said: “The V&A has been in negotiations with the trade union side since February and those negotiations are ongoing. Our offer sees 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. As always, we have maintained our longstanding commitment to paying at least the London living wage.
“The safety and wellbeing of our staff is of utmost importance to the V&A – all our staff have access to water and toilet facilities and regular breaks while at work. Extensive measures were implemented to support our staff during the heatwave, ranging from additional rest breaks, increasing staff rotations across gallery spaces, closing several galleries at V&A South Kensington and closing Young V&A altogether on 11 days during the peak of the heatwave.
“To ensure the safety and security of national collections, during Order an Object appointments at V&A East Storehouse, food and drink are not permitted and visitors are accompanied by V&A staff during their appointment.”
The museum is set to review whether it will become an accredited living wage employer later this year.
