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PCS members working at Victoria and Albert Museum vote for strike action

In a ballot that closed yesterday, 20th August, 95.39% voted for strike action with a turnout of 87.04%.

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Public and Commercial Services (PCS) members working at the Victoria and Albert (V&A) Museum in London have voted for strike action on pay, conditions and dignity at work. 

In a ballot that closed yesterday, 20th August, 95.39% voted for strike action with a turnout of 87.04%. 

97.86% voted for action short of a strike. 

PCS members plan to coordinate strike action with Prospect, with dates to be confirmed.

The strike will cover all V&A sites in London, including South Kensington, East Storehouse, East Museum and Young V&A. 

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Members are calling for an acceptable pay offer and for the museum to become a Real Living Wage accredited employer. 

They also want 1.5x pay on bank holidays and heat mitigation measures, such as access to drinking water, closing public-facing areas at 30 degrees for the safety of staff and visitors, and more protections for back-of-house staff.

Fran Heathcote, general secretary at PCS, said: “This overwhelming vote sends a very clear message to V&A management: our members will not accept being undervalued, ignored or put at risk at work.

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“V&A management needs to stop shutting the door on its own staff and start negotiating seriously.”

Earlier this month, Prospect and PCS called on director Tristram Hunt and senior management to reach a resolution and start showing that they care about their workforce and get properly back around the negotiating table.

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This came after Hunt refused to attend negotiations with Acas to reach an agreement.

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PCS members are preparing for walk-outs with strike schools. 

The first strike school and banner-making session will be held on 26th August at Pelican House, London. 

A second strike school will take place online on 31st August. 

A demonstration is planned at V&A South Kensington on 2nd September, where PCS and Prospect members will gather at 8am.

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A spokesperson from V&A Museum, said: “We deeply regret that the Trade Unions have voted for strike action. 

“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.

“We value our staff enormously and remain fully committed to providing safe, supportive working environments in all our museums.

“Our latest pay offer delivers a pay rise well above inflation for all staff, with an average 4.18% pay rise and a 6.9% increase for our lowest-paid colleagues; a bank holiday pay rate increase to 1.5, alongside a sector-leading bonus scheme; our longstanding commitment to paying at least the London Living Wage and a subsidised food offer at all of our sites.  

“All our staff have regular breaks and access to drinking fountains on each floor is provided at V&A East Storehouse, which has an air-cooling system. Extensive heatwave mitigations have also been put in place across our museums.

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“We are currently assessing the likely impact of any future industrial action on our operations and advise visitors to check our website for the latest updates.

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