Workers at London’s Victoria and Albert (V&A) Museum are balloting for strike action, with disputes centred on pay and working conditions during recent hot weather. Multiple reports say the ballot is linked to concerns about access to drinking water and the ability to take appropriate breaks in extreme temperatures. The Evening Standard reports that staff are not allowed to drink or carry water while working, even during the heatwave.
The ballots involve staff across the V&A’s London sites, which include the main museum in South Kensington as well as V&A East and V&A East Storehouse in Stratford. One report focuses on the V&A Storehouse site, where staff vote overwhelmingly to strike over what they say are inadequate toilet and hydration breaks. Workers’ concerns also include pay and conditions, including the museum’s decision not to pursue accreditation as a London Living Wage employer.
Overall, sources describe coordinated industrial action ballots covering both heatwave-related welfare and break arrangements and wider employment terms, with union action aimed at securing improved pay and workplace conditions.
