V&A workers strike over pay and working conditions

Three Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A) museums, V&A East, V&A East Storehouse and Young V&A, were closed on Friday 4 and Saturday 5 September as Prospect and PCS members took strike action over pay and working conditions.

The two days of industrial action saw staff across the museums come together to demand a fairer deal, including a pay increase for lower and middle earners, improved arrangements for Bank Holiday working, a commitment to the London Living Wage and better food provision for staff at the V&A East sites.

Prospect is demanding that the V&A:

• Deliver a minimum 4% pay increase for staff earning above the Living Wage
• Pay time-and-a-half for Bank Holiday working
• Become an accredited London Living Wage employer within 12 months
• Improve food provision at V&A East sites

For Prospect members, the dispute is about more than a pay rise. Staff say that passion for working in the cultural sector should not mean accepting low pay or being unable to afford to build a future.

One Prospect member said:

“We deserve fair pay… it’s not just passion that it takes to run a museum, we also have groceries to buy and rent to pay.”

Another said:

“I know people who have to decide between having a family and staying in the culture sector.”

And another said:

“Everybody deserves to have access to culture and we deserve a culture sector that isn’t built on the backs of low pay and exploitation.”

Staff rally outside V&A East

On Friday, members of Prospect and PCS gathered outside V&A East for a rally in support of the strike. The rally was well attended, with members joined by supporters and trade union representatives.

Speakers included Prospect General Secretary Mike Clancy and PCS General Secretary Fran Heathcote, who addressed the crowd and praised members for standing together.

Mike Clancy told the crowd:

“You should be really proud of what you’ve done here today, all of you coming together and shutting these museums. It’s ridiculous that you’re having to do so to achieve such reasonable demands.

“That senior management don’t appreciate that without you, there is no museum says a lot about how out of touch they really are.

“Make no mistake, we will win this dispute and Prospect stands with you all the way.”

Prospect National Secretary Paula Lamont also addressed members, highlighting the union’s demand for the London Living Wage:

“It is ridiculous that an institution which calls itself the ‘World’s Leading Design Museum’ won’t guarantee the London Living Wage so that their lowest paid workers can accurately plan for the future.

“We’ve already won one action at V&A Storehouse which shows just what we can do when we stand together. Stay strong and we will win this one too.”

The strike action follows previous industrial action at V&A Storehouse and comes as Prospect members continue to press the V&A for improvements to pay and conditions.

For Prospect members, the message from the two days of action was clear: the people who keep the V&A’s museums running deserve fair pay and decent working conditions.

You can see more photos from the strike action on our Flickr page.

Watch our Instagram reel and hear from Prospect members about why they took strike action.