Three of the UK’s biggest museums face the threat of strike action in 2025 by security guards over pay and conditions.
Guards at the Science Museum, the Victoria and Albert Museum and the Natural History Museum are in dispute with the external contractor, Wilson James. They want a basic pay rate of £16 an hour to cope with the cost of living crisis.
After walkouts earlier this month, there are new strikes planned from 17 to 21 January. Wilson James said it is working to “minimise” any disruption to museum visitors and will continue to deliver an “excellent service”.
However, the union supporting the action, the United Voices of the World (UVW), has urged the public to support its members by not visiting the museums while the strike is on.
The UVW, which says it represents low-paid, precarious, migrant and marginalised workers, said about 100 of its members work as security guards at the three museums.
Members of UVW who work at Harrods, from cleaners to shop floor and restaurant staff, went on strike for three days over the Christmas period over demands for an above-inflation pay rise and an annual bonus. The UVW said that 95% of its members at the Knightsbridge store had voted in favour of strikes on 21, 22 and 26 December.
For the museum security guards, the UVW is demanding the pay increase in the hourly rate, improved sickness pay entitlement and an extra week in holiday. Wilson James paid its museum security guards £10.10 an hour in 2011, according to the union, which argues that the hourly rate should now be £16 to keep pace with inflation. Petros Elia, the UVW general secretary, said that between 2019 and 2021 his members received total pay rises of 1.2%.
Wilson James has told UVW its demands are “unaffordable” and it is not prepared to “reopen” discussions on pay for 2024-25.
Elia said: “Wilson James pay huge sums to their executives and pay those at the bottom a pittance. We would urge the public not to go to the museums during strike days and donate towards our strike fund, so that workers are not forced to go back to work.”
Wilson James said it puts the “highest value” on the contributions of its employees. A spokesperson said its most recent increase of hourly pay to £13.15 was aligned to the London living wage for 2023-24. The firm, which made profits of more than £7m in the year to 31 July 2023, says it offers “competitive” compensation.
The spokesperson added: “We are committed to transparent negotiations. 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.
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“As a recognised service provider by the Living Wage Foundation, we have been working to ensure that pay for our security colleagues has remained 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.”
All three museums referred requests for comment on the dispute to Wilson James.
Source: theguardian.com
