Workers at South Kensington’s Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A) staged a two-day strike in dispute over fair pay and working conditions.
Trade union members from Public and Commercial Services union (PCS) and Prospect walked out on 25 and 26 September.
Prospect called for a minimum 4% pay increase for staff earning above the Living Wage, London Living Wage accreditation and other benefits including time-and-a-half for bank holiday working.
PCS branch chair Frankie Francis said: “We are continually expected to put up with less because we love the work.
“But love is not enough.”
The industrial action covered the South Kensington V&A site but Prospect said pay remained in dispute at other sites across London.
Picketers raised concerns about financial insecurity amid rising London living costs, years of pay erosion and unmanageable workloads.
A worker said they had taken on a second job to make ends meet.
A V&A spokesperson said: “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.”
Union representatives described London Living Wage accreditation as a ‘bare minimum’.
A day before the South Kensington strike, the V&A introduced a Voluntary Exit scheme, which gives staff the option to leave the organisation as part of wider cost-cutting measures.
Trade union members at the strike raised concerns about the timing of the scheme as a response to industrial action and its implications for staff.
Prospect representative Susan North said the scheme reflected how the museum’s management were determined to achieve financial success at the expense of their workers.
The V&A said the scheme was part of its wider organisational strategy for 2026-2030 and was introduced to reduce costs amid rising operating costs, inflation, reduced visitor spending and economic uncertainty.
The representative said: “While we continue to receive Government support, below-inflation settlements mean a real-terms reduction in funding over the coming years.”
The insufficient engagement by senior senior management was a recurring point of contention during the strike.
A Prospect member said: “Senior management is so disconnected from the majority of the work force.”
Prospect has said V&A director Tristan Hunt has refused to take part in arbitration talks, leaving negotiations to more junior executives.
A V&A spokesperson 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.”
Last week’s strike action came after members at three V&A Sites in East Storehouse, East Museum and Young V&A walked out on 4 and 5 September.
In a separate dispute, Prospect won paid breaks for collections workers at V&A Storehouse who had previously been unable to access toilet and drinking water facilities on shift.
The V&A said all staff have regular breaks and access to drinking fountains on every floor, but PCS has disputed this account, claiming some fountains are frequently broken and that floor assistants are not permitted to carry sealed bottles of water.
During the strike, union members took to the picket line, leading to the closure of the museum’s main entrance and a limited number of galleries open.
The picket line started at the front of the museum on Cromwell Road, then later moved to the only remaining entrance on Exhibition Road, where union members rallied and handed leaflets to passers-by entering the museum.
The V&A stated they remain available for negotiations with their Trade Union colleagues.
Featured image credit: Prospect
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