Workers at London’s new V&A site vote overwhelmingly to strike | V&A

Staff in the V&A’s east storage area London They voted overwhelmingly to protest over what they say is a lack of restrooms and hydration breaks.

He will join staff at all of London’s V&A sites who on Wednesday voted to join a wider dispute over pay, performance, and the museum refused to seek legalization of the living wage.

Prospect said members of the V&A Storehouse, which opened in May 2025, were denied enough time during the day to take a toilet break or flush.

The debate revolves around the collection of access officers who support the “item ordering” function, a central part of the Repository’s provision of public access to a wide range of items.

The union is calling for two paid breaks a day, saying workers need time to use the toilet and water themselves during what they describe as a punishing schedule. It said all the complaints failed to achieve a “reasonable request for paid time off”, which workers elsewhere in the organization receive.

Prospect said many of the staff were also recruited locally, which the V&A has made public, but they were treated worse than their colleagues at other sites.

A member of Prospect told the Guardian: “We only get one hour of unpaid lunch, even though we’ve been walking for hours, socializing and doing a lot of manual work.

“Rest is a matter of health. The warehouse was built to store things, but they didn’t think about the human condition – how far to walk around the building or where the bathrooms are.

“We have faced the problem of dehydration, and sometimes people don’t even go to the toilet for the whole day.”

They added: “We have tried all our internal methods.

Another member of Prospect said: “Every day when we go to work, there is someone who has a headache because of dehydration.

But we need someone to help us because we can’t leave the collection trolleys without someone to take care of them.

“We’re the newest department at the V&A. We’re a very different home department. It’s not lost on us that we were hired to represent the East London community, but our quality is being overlooked.”

At the V&A Storehouse, 100% of those who voted supported a strike against an average of 88%, while 92% supported action just before being ignored.

As part of the wider debate, Prospect wants a pay rise of at least 4% for higher-income workers, part-time working on bank holidays, recognition as a salaried London employer within 12 months and catering at the V&A East sites.

Across the V&A, 83% voted for 82% to go on strike, and 95% voted to take action in the run-up to the strike. The duration of each company’s activity has not been considered.

Mike Clancy, executive secretary of Prospect, said: “This new way to show off our heritage is being offered by workers who are not given enough time to go to the toilet or drink water.

“Visitors will be surprised to learn that the types of work groups that fight against companies like Amazon also exist in famous places around the world.”

He said the dispute showed a “gross lack of respect” for museum staff.

The V&A has been approached for comment. Earlier reply to separate voting conducted by the Public and Commercial Servicesit said all workers have access to water, toilets and regular breaks, and pointed to additional measures introduced this summer, including extended rest periods, staff rotation and short-term closures.

London living wage is £14.80 per hour. Although the V&A has said all staff are paid this amount, some of the museum’s outsourced contractors do not receive a living wage and the V&A has not become an official employer, although this will be reviewed this year. V&A Dundee is an accredited employer.