Workers at the V&A in South Kensington are staging a two-day strike in a dispute over pay and conditions. Members of Prospect and the Public and Commercial Services union (PCS) will walk out on Friday and Saturday.
Pay demands and dispute
Prospect is calling for a minimum 4% pay increase for staff earning above the living wage, along with other benefits including time-and-a-half for bank holiday working. The strike action covers only the South Kensington museum, but Prospect said it remained in dispute at other V&A sites across the capital.
What visitors can expect
The V&A has said that as a result of the strike action, the museum will offer “a reduced visitor offer which may disrupt your visit” on the affected days. The exhibition Schiaparelli: Fashion Becomes Art, the café and some ground floor galleries will remain open.
Union and museum statements
Mike Clancy, general secretary of Prospect, said: “Our members have been left with no choice but to take strike action by a senior management which continues to not engage seriously on our very reasonable demands.” He added that directors at the V&A continue to demonstrate a lack of respect for the staff who make the museum what it is. The V&A can still avoid the strike, but it needs actual effort to meet the union's terms, he said.
In a statement, the V&A said: “We deeply regret that the Trade Unions have voted for strike action. Because we are still in discussion with the unions about the dispute, we are limited in what we can say about the process, but 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.” The museum also noted that all staff are paid the London Living Wage and have been for many years, and that a sector-leading bonus payment was shared out last year.
