Outsourced security guards at London’s Science Museum and Natural History Museum are threatening to strike in a dispute over wages.
Employed by security contractor Wilson James, the guards who are members of the United Voices of the World (UVW) union are currently balloting for strike action.
They are asking for a wage of £16 an hour instead of the planned increase to £13.15, as well as full sick pay from day one of any illness or injury.
Currently, the guards earn £11.95 per hour – 51p above the minimum wage, which was the London living wage in 2022. Members of the union say their wages are “stuck in the past” and describe the planned increase as “too little, too late”.
Kingsley Ampofo, a 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.
“Every member of the museum’s workforce, including the directors, have received a decent rise in their wages. So why not the security guards who work their socks off to ensure the safety of both people and property?”
Geoffrey Davis, a security supervisor at the Natural History Museum, said: “The museums treat us as second class employees when they give their directly employed staff pay rises and bonuses of £500.
“We think the museums need to take safety more seriously by treating us the same as their in-house staff, including paying a decent wage and providing sick pay from day one.”
Bayo Owolabi, a security guard at the Science Museum, said: “It’s quite disrespectful and demoralising that security guards are the lowest-paid staff in the Science Museum. The other museum staff have received pay rises in line with inflation.”
Catherine Campbell, a UVW member and security guard at the Science Museum, added: “I feel demoralised and sad that I’ve not had a proper pay rise.”
Members say wages are “stuck in the past”
The ballot opened on 6 September and closes on 4 October. If the guards vote to strike, industrial action is expected to take place between 21 October 2024 and 3 April 2025.
Petros Elia, general secretary for UVW, said the 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,” Elia added.
“Wilson James makes millions in profit because of these workers and they need to get with the times and pay them a decent wage.”
A Wilson James spokesperson said (via BBC): “We are actively engaged in conversations with our colleagues and formally recognised trade union representatives at the Science Museum and Natural History Museum and remain dedicated to seeking an effective pay resolution.”
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