London Museum members vote to take industrial action
Prospect members working for London Museum have voted overwhelmingly to take industrial action, including strike action, in a dispute over pay.
A pay claim was submitted in March 2025 but an offer from the employer was not forthcoming until September 2025. This and two other subsequent offers were rejected by members with the final offer, £420 consolidated +1% then another £150 consolidated, being imposed and leading to the industrial action ballot.
London Museum has made misleading claims about the size of the pay offer. As a London Living Wage (LLW) employer those on the LLW received a 5.5% pay rise in accordance with the last financial year’s rise. But this only applies to a minority of our members. The fact that the LLW increased by 5.3% clearly demonstrates the cost-of-living pressures members are facing, and highlights the severe financial impact on the majority who are receiving the base offer.
Some others will have received a higher pay rise due to performance related pay but the base level pay offer is far short of the Museum’s claim. It is very misleading to suggest that many staff have received 5.5% when most are subject to a below inflation rise.
88% of votes were in favour of taking strike action with 12% against, while 94% voted in favour of taking action short of a strike with 6% against. Turnout was nearly 90% of those eligible.
Prospect members will now meet to decide on the timings for any industrial action, and engage further with the employer to seek an acceptable offer.
Steve Thomas, Deputy General Secretary of Prospect, said:
“The Museum has behaved poorly throughout the course of these negotiations with unacceptable delays and stalling tactics leaving staff increasingly out of pocket due to inflation.
“Our members have worked tirelessly for the Museum as it seeks to open its new flagship site later this year. The offer which has been imposed is poor reward for such dedication and demonstrates how undervalued by their employer London Museum staff truly are.
“We do not want to take strike action. Prospect members love what they do but they feel like they are being taken advantage of.
“If the employer won’t improve the offer, the GLA and City of London Corporation need to step in. The next few months are going to be vital for the preparation and set up of the new site and nobody wants a pay dispute getting in the way of hitting deadlines.”
