Security guards to go on strike at NHM and Science Museum

Security guards at London’s Natural History Museum and Science Museum are taking industrial action to demand a pay rise and improved working conditions.

The outsourced workers are employed by the contractor Wilson James and say they have had real-terms pay cuts for years, with wages “stuck in the past”.

They are represented by the United Voices of the World (UVW) union, which says Wilson James has refused to negotiate on pay.

Following a ballot that opened last month, 96% of the security guards voted in favour of a strike, with turnout at 95%.

The security guards are demanding a pay rise, improvements to their current sick pay scheme and increased annual and compassionate leave.

Until this month, the workers earned £11.95 per hour, which was the London Living Wage in 2022.

Wilson James is offering the workers an “insulting” rise to £13.15 an hour “after years of real terms pay cuts”, says UMV.

The guards say the increase is “too little, too late”, as their last increase was substantially below inflation. They also say that their pay does not reflect the difficult conditions and long hours of the role.

They are demanding £16 an hour, full sick pay from day one and one more week of annual leave.

“We are asking for pains to be recognised, the mental and physical pains we go through on a daily basis,” said Sempijja Juma, Science Museum security guard and UVW member.

“We are out, standing and patrolling, in the freezing cold for hours at a time, on the door and in the car park. Our work takes us away from our families, we work long hours, sometimes until midnight or 2am, because we cannot afford life in the UK, inflation is high and transport costs are high, we have children and families to look after. Some of us have health issues we can’t talk about, but we persist.”

Juma said the security guards are treated “as second-class citizens” compared to staff who are directly employed by the museum.  

“Directly employed staff get frequent breaks but we don’t,” he said. “We do our best for the millions of people that come through the doors and all the high-profile events with politicians, billionaires, celebrities, and royalty that we look after. We’ve tried sending letters, we tried to speak to human resource, but every time we got ignored. Now they’re trying to pay us the London Living Wage, but this is not enough.

“We’re asking for fair and better pay for our services, we cannot be given pennies to keep quiet. Most officers have been at the museum for a long time, some over 20-30 years. We know we must strike to make changes.”

Petros Elia, general secretary for UVW, said: “The security guards have spoken loud and clear with an overwhelming vote to strike – they deserve wages that meet today’s standards, not outdated ones, and the incredibly important and thankless work they do. These workers, many of whom are migrants, are responsible for the safety of millions of visitors and priceless artefacts, yet they’re paid some of the lowest wages in the museum.

“Wilson James reaps huge profits from their hard work – over £7 million after tax – but it’s high time they recognise that and pay these guards a wage that reflects their worth. The outsourcing of these roles unfairly reduced the guards to second-class workers, cutting them off from the museum’s community, pay scales, and benefits.

“It’s long overdue for the museums to bring them in-house. UVW will stand with the guards every step of the way in this fight for fair treatment, and we call on Wilson James and the museums to come to the table and negotiate.”

A Wilson James spokesperson said: “We value our colleagues at the museums and recognise their vital contributions to protecting such treasured national institutions. We will do everything we can to maintain service and ensure the safety, comfort, and satisfaction of families and children excited to visit the museums during half term.

“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 accredited employer.”