Image: Natural History Museum (Janie Airey Art Fund 2023)
The United Voices of the World Union has put a ballot to members which could see industrial action at the Science Museum, Natural History Museum and V&A
Security staff contracted at some of the country’s most popular museums are balloting to strike in a dispute over pay.
Security staff outsourced by company Wilson James to the Science Museum, V&A and Natural History Museum, who are members of the United Voices of the World Union (UVW), say they are “fed up with their terms and conditions being stuck in the past”.
The union is demanding £16 an hour, full sick pay, and an additional week of annual leave after what it called a “substantial real terms pay cut” in recent years.
A ballot to strike has been put to members which will close Friday 4 October. If voted through, strikes could take place between 21 October 2024 and 3 April 2025.
Kingsley Ampofo, a UVW member and security guard at the Natural History Museum said: “The refusal of Wilson James to offer security guards a decent wage in these harsh economic times is having a serious impact on our wellbeing.
“We have to work more days as overtime to make ends meet at the expense of our health and our families.”
Bayo Owolabi, a UVW member and security guard at the Science Museum, said: “The rising cost of rent, energy, groceries, and transport has made it hard to make ends meet. I’ve found it difficult to afford going on holiday. It’s stressful and a struggle having to do so much overtime and working unsociable hours. It puts a strain on our family lives. Wilson James needs to move forward with the times.”
Catherine Campbell, a UVW member and security guard at the Science Museum, said: “I feel demoralised and sad that I’ve not had a proper pay rise. I’ve been a security guard for 13 years here and I’m also a fully trained first aider.
“I am always happy to help and do my best but I believe this level of responsibility should be reflected in my salary.”
Petros Elia, general secretary for UVW, said the security guards “deserve pay that is fit for the present, not that is stuck in the past.
“The guards, who are mainly migrant workers, are protecting millions of visitors every year and priceless exhibits and artefacts, and they shouldn’t be among the lowest paid workers in the museum.
“The museum’s decision to outsource the guards in the first place immediately demoted them to the rank of a second class worker in the museum, excluded from the museum community and from the museum workers’ pay rates and other benefits and it’s about time the museums bring them in-house where they belong. UVW will do everything we can to help the guards win their fight for justice and we hope that Wilson James and the museums come to the negotiating table.”
A Wilson James spokesperson told Advisor: “We highly value our employees and are committed to fair and transparent negotiations. Our colleagues are respected members of the museum community, valued for their role in keeping national treasures in free-to-access institutions safe and secure, and the decision to outsource services to Wilson James in no way diminishes the importance of their contributions to the museum’s operations.
“We are actively engaged in conversations with our colleagues and trade union representatives at the Natural History Museum, Science Museum, and V&A, and remain dedicated to seeking an effective pay resolution.”
