Security guards at two of the UK’s most prestigious museums – the Science and Natural History Museums – are voting for strike action in a dispute over wages.
More than 70 guards who, unlike many other museum staff, are not employed in-house but outsourced to a company called Wilson James, are taking part in the strike ballot, which opened on Friday (September 6).
Members of the United Voices of the World union says their salaries are “stuck in the past”. The union says the security guards have had significant real wage cuts for years and are among the lowest paid workers at the museums.
They are asking for a wage of £16 an hour instead of the planned increase to £13.15 an hour. They currently earn £11.95 an hour, 51p above the minimum wage, which the London living wage in 2022.
The guards also ask for full sick pay from day one of any illness or injury that requires them to take leave. Currently, they only get sick pay from day four of a sickness absence.
Along with an increase in wages to £16 an hour and improvements to sick pay, the guards are calling for increased annual and compassionate leave. They currently only receive statutory minimum levels.
Union officials say that both the museums and Wilson James reported healthy profits.
The Natural History Museum reported an overall surplus of £29.8 million in its 2023-24 accounts, while the Science Museum in its annual review for 2023-24 reported “exceptionally strong commercial results”. In accounts to July 2032 filed by Wilson James, a profit of £7m was recorded.
Around half of the security guards representing the UVW in the two museums are British citizens, with the others from Poland, India, Portugal, Nepal, Pakistan, Ghana, Germany, Spain, France, Poland, Sweden, Uganda, Macedonia, Malta , Lithuania , Eritrea, Jamaica, Zambia and Belgium. Some have worked at the museums for decades.
Their duties include operating control rooms, perimeter security and internal patrols, emergency response and first aid, managing electronic security systems, bag searches and door security. The union says the museums could not function without them and the services they provide.
If the security guards vote to strike, industrial action is expected to take place between 21 October and 3 April 2025.
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Kingsley Ampofo, a UVW member and security guard at the Natural History Museumsaid: “We have to work more days than overtime to make ends meet at the expense of our health and our families.
Every member of the museum’s workforce, including the directors, received a decent increase in their wages. So why not the security guards who work their socks off to ensure the safety of both people and property?”
Petros Elia, the general secretary of the UVW, said: “It’s not rocket science – the security guards deserve pay that is suitable for the present, not what is stuck in the past. The guards, who are mainly migrant workers, protect millions of visitors every year and precious exhibits and artifacts, and they should not be among the lowest paid workers in the museum.”
A spokesperson for Wilson James said: “We value our employees highly and are committed to fair and transparent negotiations. We are actively engaged in discussions with our colleagues and union representatives at the Science Museum and Natural History Museum and remain committed to seeking an effective payment resolution.”
