V&A Workers Ballot for Strike Over Pay, Heatwave Conditions
More than 300 workers at London’s Victoria and Albert Museum are voting on whether to strike over pay and working conditions, with unions citing unsafe policies during heatwaves. The Public and Commercial Services (PCS) union began the ballot on July 23, covering staff at the V&A South Kensington, Young V&A in Bethnal Green, and the V&A East Museum and Storehouse in Stratford, and calling for measures including a minimum 4% pay increase and closure of public areas when indoor temperatures exceed 86°F. PCS also seeks additional protections for staff working in hot conditions and permission for V&A East Storehouse employees to carry water while working around objects; it is also urging London Living Wage accreditation. The V&A said negotiations have been ongoing since February and that its latest proposal includes a 3.6% increase to the overall pay bill and a 6.9% raise for its lowest-paid employees, while Prospect union is separately balloting members with a vote closing July 29.
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This story was covered in Museums Under Fire, Heritage and Heists Collide