Enjoy this article?
Most Museums Journal content is only available to members. Join the MA to get full access to the latest thinking and trends from across the sector, case studies and best practice advice.
V&A security guards ballot to join strike action over pay
Outsourced workers plan to walk out alongside colleagues from NHM and Science Museum
Security guards at the Victoria & Albert Museum (V&A) are preparing to join colleagues at the Natural History Museum and Science Museum in an ongoing dispute over pay and working conditions.
The guards are voting to strike for 15 days between November and December, including a seven-day walkout in the lead-up to Christmas.
It follows a six-day walkout by security guards at the Natural History Museum and Science Museum over the Halloween half-term. The workers’ picket line on 26 October was attended by more than 300 people, including striking security guards, supporters, politicians and trade unionists.
Security guards at all three institutions are employed by the outsourced contractor for security, Wilson James. They are demanding £16 an hour, sick pay from day one and an extra week of annual leave.
Represented by the United Voices of the World (UVW) union, the workers say they have “endured years of stagnated pay and erosion of living conditions whilst their employer and the museums raked millions in profits annually”.
The guards got a 1.2% pay rise between 2019 and 2021, and had previously seen their wages frozen for six years. They say that Wilson James saw its profits double to over £7.6m annually during the same period.
Advertisement
The workers were offered what they describe as an "insulting" increase to £13.15 an hour in August 2023, and were earning £11.95 per hour prior to that.
The union says that although the London Living Wage (LLW) was recently set at £13.85 per hour, Wilson James is refusing to implement the increase immediately or backdate the previous LLW of £13.15 to November 2023, when it was first announced.
UVW says that the strike has received widespread public support, with MPs, activists and members of the public writing to the museums to demand “fair treatment for those who protect millions of visitors every year and our shared cultural heritage”.
In a statement, the union said: “Despite their reasonable demands, Wilson James has refused to negotiate, perpetuating a two-tier system in which guards, many who are Black, brown and migrant, are left struggling with stagnant wages and limited protections. This is unfair on the guards, particularly those who have served the museums for decades.”
Edi Palale, a V&A guard of 15 years, said: “We’ve been let down by Wilson James and we’ve been let down by the V&A. We work in the same building, for the same corporation as the directly employed staff, everyone should be paid and treated fairly. Cleaners get more than we do and they deserve to, they work hard as we do. But this shows how we are unappreciated.”
Petros Elia, the general secretary for UVW, said: “With the V&A security guards joining their colleagues from the Natural History and Science Museums, the dispute is escalating significantly and shows no signs of abating. No matter how much Wilson James and the museums try to ignore our members' demands for fair pay and respect, the fight continues and grows stronger.
Advertisement
“Wilson James is attempting to muddy the waters by dangling the promise of a trade union recognition agreement before they sit down to negotiate pay, but both they and the guards know that the lack of formal recognition does not stop them increasing pay now. If the company and the museums are serious about avoiding further strikes, they should do the right thing and give the guards – many of whom have worked there for decades – what they’re asking for.
“It is unacceptable that Wilson James doubled its net profits to over £7.5m a year whilst the guards saw only a 1.2% pay rise in a three-year period. Our members stand united, determined, and reinvigorated – they will not back down until their voices are heard and their demands met.”
A statement from Wilson James statement: “We are proud to offer competitive compensation to our employees and remain dedicated to fair and transparent negotiations. Throughout the year, we have been in negotiations with our recognised unions at the museums, and in September reached an agreement to increase security officers’ pay to £13.15 per hour backdated to April 2024, in line with our commitments as a London Living Wage recognised service provider.”
The V&A has been contacted for comment. The Natural History Museum and Science Museum have not commented on the dispute.