V&A Museum Workers Vote to Strike
Workers at the Victoria and Albert Museum’s V&A East Storehouse in London voted unanimously to authorize strike action in a dispute over working conditions, according to the union Prospect. Prospect said 100% of collection access officers backed striking with turnout just under 88%, alleging they lack sufficient time for bathroom and hydration breaks while running the “order an object” service for a collection of more than 250,000 objects at the site, which opened in May last year. Prospect is seeking two paid breaks per day, and said a prior collective grievance did not lead to an agreement. Separately, staff across the V&A voted on July 29 to strike over pay and conditions, with 83% support and 82% turnout; the union is calling for at least a 4% pay rise, better bank-holiday pay, London Living Wage accreditation, and improved food provision, while the V&A said its offer would raise overall pay by 3.6% and by 6.9% for the lowest-paid staff.
From This Briefing
This story was covered in Strikes, Seizures, and the Art World Under Siege