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National museum security guards escalate strike action
Month-long walkout planned in February as workers from more V&A sites join campaign
Security guards at the National History Museum, Science Museum and Victoria & Albert Museum are planning to escalate their ongoing strike action with a month-long walkout in February.
The outsourced workers have been in a dispute with their employer, the private security contractor Wilson James, since last September over pay and working conditions.
The guards are demanding a pay rise to £16 per hour, sick pay from day one, and full parity with directly employed museum staff, including more annual leave and an annual bonus.
They have urged the public to boycott the museums during the entire month of February, a time when the institutions would expect to see a big increase in footfall for the spring half-term.
Security guards from the V&A’s other London sites, the Young V&A in Bethnal Green and V&A East in Stratford, have also confirmed that they will now join the campaign.
The planned action will mark 50 total strike days at the museums. The union representing the workers, United Voices of the World (UVW), says the action is the longest strike in the history of all three museums.
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As part of the campaign, the workers have visited the workplaces of several museum trustees to hand-deliver letters urging them to support the dispute. Those visited so far include Amanda Levete, the founder of the architecture firm AL_A, who is a trustee for the V&A.
The workers have described recent pay rises offered by Wilson James as “insulting” after what they describe as years of “stagnant pay”.
They say that, despite introducing a London Living Wage policy, Wilson James is refusing to backdate pay increases to the time the policy was introduced in November 2023.
The union has accused Wilson James of refusing to engage with it. Wilson James says: “We continue to engage with UVW, seeking to formalise a recognition agreement that will support finding a resolution that is fair for all.”
UVW recently announced that it was taking legal action against Wilson James on behalf of three employees for discrimination, victimisation, unlawful pay cuts and blacklisting.
“This historic month-long strike action shows the unwavering determination of the security guards at the Natural History Museum, Science Museum, and V&A to achieve dignity and equality at work,” said Petros Elia, the general secretary for UVW.
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“These workers, who have been underpaid and undervalued for far too long. They are also not blind to the fact that the majority of them are from Black, Brown, ethnic minority and migrant backgrounds, which stands in stark contrast to the directly employed members of staff at the museums who are, by a large majority, White British.
“It is therefore understandable that the decision of the museums to defend a system of outsourcing that has the inevitable result that a group of majority White British workers will get more sick leave, annual leave and better pensions and other benefits, than a group of Black, Brown, ethnic minority and migrant workers, is an example of institutional racism.
“That’s why they are now making history with the longest strike ever at these iconic institutions. We urge the public to stand with the guards by not visiting the museums throughout February. Together, we can send a clear message to Wilson James and museum management: exploitation and discrimination has no place in these cultural spaces.”
A statement from Wilson James said: “We offer competitive compensation and are committed to transparent negotiations with our recognised unions. While we acknowledge the demands put forward by UVW, we are seeking a resolution that balances fair pay with the need to remain financially responsible.
“As a Recognised Service Provider by the Living Wage Foundation, we continue to work to ensure that pay for our security colleagues remains reflective of the circumstances. Our most recent negotiations with our recognised trade unions secured a minimum pay increase of 5% and brought pay rates in line with London Living Wage.
“We respect the right to strike, whilst remaining confident that we will continue to deliver excellent service to the museums and their visitors throughout this period of industrial action. We are working diligently to minimise any disruption and ensure that visitors to the museums can continue to enjoy a safe and enriching experience.”
The three national museums involved have not commented on the dispute.