V&A workers ballot for 'heatwave' strike over pay and water access

More than 300 workers at four London sites are voting on whether to walk out, according to the Guardian. The ballot covers the main South Kensington museum, V&A East Museum and V&A East Storehouse in Stratford, and Young V&A in Bethnal Green. The Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS) launched its ballot on 23 July, citing “serious and unresolved concerns affecting staff across the museum”.

The union is calling for a minimum 4% pay increase and wants management to close public areas when temperatures exceed 30°C, introduce heat mitigation measures for back-of-house workers, and let staff at V&A East Storehouse carry and drink water while working in display areas rather than waiting for relief. The Prospect trade union is running a parallel ballot; its vote closes on 29 July. Prospect says members at the V&A are balloting after the museum tried to impose a pay offer that was rejected by 89% on a 90% turnout in a consultative ballot.

The union also highlights that collections access officers at V&A East Storehouse are not entitled to morning or afternoon breaks, making it difficult to take a drink or use the toilet. PCS and Prospect are both demanding that the V&A become an accredited London living wage employer. The current London living wage is £14.80 an hour.

The museum says all directly employed staff earn at least that rate, but some outsourced contractors do not, and the V&A has not yet secured accreditation. V&A Dundee, which is not part of the ballot, is already accredited. "PCS members at the V&A are balloting for strike action because enough is enough. Management refuses to let staff carry or drink water while they work, refuses to become a London living wage accredited employer. At the same time, it claims it cannot afford a decent pay rise for staff. This is an employer that is failing the very people who keep one of Britain’s most prestigious museums running. It’s unfair, it’s unsafe and our members are prepared to fight back."

A V&A spokesperson said negotiations with the trade union side have been ongoing since February. The museum’s pay offer includes a 3.6% increase in the overall pay bill, an above-inflation award as a minimum, and a 6.9% rise for the lowest-paid colleagues. The spokesperson added that all staff have access to water, toilet facilities and regular breaks, and that during the heatwave the museum introduced additional rest breaks, increased staff rotations, closed several galleries at South Kensington, and shut Young V&A entirely on 11 days.

The ballot is thought to be one of the first to raise workplace heatwave conditions as a central strike issue. If members vote for action, the V&A could face its latest in a series of industrial disputes, following a separate ballot by security guards in November 2024 over pay of £16 an hour and sick pay from day one.