Unions Slam ‘Disrespectful’ V&A Director Amid Dispute Over Pay And Conditions

A union representing hundreds of staff at London’s Victoria & Albert Museum (V&A) has branded the actions of the institution’s director Tristam Hunt “shocking” and “disrespectful”, amid an ongoing row over pay, conditions and dignity at work.

In a statement issued earlier this week, the Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS), which represents both front and back-of-house workers across Kensington’s V&A Museum, the newly opened V&A Storehouse and V&A East and the Young V&A, claimed that Hunt has refused to attend negotiations with union representatives, which it described as “a slap in the face to all our members and V&A staff”.

Nick Marro, secretary of the PCS’s culture group, told Ocula: “Dr Hunt should meet our reps at the bargaining table. It is shockingly disrespectful to all of our members that he refuses to meet with their elected reps.”

Addressing Hunt directly, he added: “Our members’ demands are completely reasonable: they want fair pay and safe working conditions.”

The PCS’s calls are echoed by Prospect, which also represents staff across V&A locations. The two unions have committed to work together on any forthcoming industrial actions, and have issued a joint statement calling on Hunt and the V&A to “start showing that they care about their workforce and get properly back around the negotiating table”. 

“A national scandal”

The V&A, which defines its mission as becoming “recognised as the world’s leading museum of art, design and performance”, holds more than 2.8 million objects in a national collection spanning the visual arts and beyond. The government-funded institution’s open-archive V&A East Storehouse opened in May last year and V&A East Museum launched with the exhibition The Music Is Black: A British Story in April 2026. 

PCS members employed at the V&A are currently being balloted for industrial action until 20 August, demanding heat mitigation measures including convenient access to drinking water, a policy of closing public-facing areas when temperatures reach 30°C and increased pay on bank holidays.

The union is also demanding that the institution become an accredited Real Living Wage employer—a voluntary scheme through which employers pay an independently calculated hourly wage based on the cost of living. When adjusted for London weighting, the scheme offers over £2 more per hour than the legally mandated National Living Wage.

PCS general secretary Fran Heathcote said: “Our members at the V&A feel completely disrespected by V&A management. They work hard to deliver a service—and when the director refuses to meet with workers it shows why they are voting for industrial action.”

She described it as a “national scandal” that “one of Britain’s major museums” is not an accredited Real Living Wage employer.

A V&A spokesperson said the institution maintains a “longstanding commitment to paying at least the London Living Wage”, though, according to The Living Wage Foundation’s website, its London locations are not accredited members of the scheme.

The spokesperson continued: “We have been negotiating with the unions in good faith since February and these negotiations are ongoing…Our offer sees a 3.6 percent increase in the overall pay bill, an above inflation pay award as a minimum, and 6.9 percent increase for our lowest paid colleagues.”

Heatwave concerns

An online petition launched by PCS, and addressed to Hunt alongside Gus Casely-Hayford, director of V&A East, Tim Reeve, deputy director of the V&A and UK culture secretary Lisa Nandy, demands that the V&A addresses health and safety concerns, which have recently been exacerbated by unprecedented heatwaves.

The petition, which had been signed more than 5,000 times at the time of writing, claims that staff have suffered from dehydration, experienced fainting while traveling from work and have been expected to work in “extreme hot weather”.

The appeal says: “The V&A has shown it does not value its lowest-paid workers’ indispensable contributions to the operations of its museums. Without us these buildings don’t operate.”

The PCS’s latest comments come just days after the V&A resolved a similar dispute with staff at its east London Storehouse location, where members of Prospect had voted to take strike action over the space’s refusal to grant two paid breaks a day. However, on 6 August, the museum confirmed that it would amend its policy to grant the requested breaks.

Prospect general secretary Mike Clancy described the decision as “a great result for our members”, but cautioned that “it really shouldn’t have taken the threat of strike action for V&A to grant this reasonable request”. He also confirmed that planned industrial action by Prospect members over “Amazon-style” working conditions at the site will go ahead as planned.

Clancy continued: “V&A spent multiple days defending the indefensible and eroding the trust of their own staff, it was only direct industrial pressure and negative media coverage that have forced this change of position.

“Management at the V&A can avoid further embarrassment and disruption by finally making progress on pay and conditions for staff and settling the remaining industrial dispute.”

“Extensive measures”

A V&A spokesperson said: “The safety and wellbeing of our staff is of utmost importance to the V&A—all our staff have always had access to water and toilet facilities and regular breaks while at work.”

They added that “extensive measures” were implemented to support staff during recent heatwaves, with additional rest breaks offered and several galleries at V&A South Kensington and closing Young V&A when temperatures peaked.

Elsewhere in London, three of Royal Museum Greenwich’s (RMG) six sites will remain closed today mid industrial action. Against a turnout of 90 percent, 77 percent of Prospect members recently voted to strike, also demanding that the institution become an accredited London Living Wage Employer, alongside addressing issues of pay, leave and training.

An RMG statement said the organisation had “already made a series of commitments” and is engaging with the London Living Wage Foundation.