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22.01.2025 / News /

Striking security guards visit V&A trustee Amanda Levete to demand fair pay and sick leave

“We’ve had no response from her. How would you feel if your boss ignored you or your questions for five months?”
— Urzula, UVW striker and representative for the guards at the V&A

Frustrated after 22 days of strike action and months of being ignored, security guards from the Natural History, Science, and V&A Museums took their fight for dignity and equality directly to the doorstep of V&A Trustee Amanda Levete. On Monday, 20 January, around 40 guards and their supporters visited the central London office of Amanda’s architectural firm, where she is a founder and director, to hand-deliver a letter outlining their demands for fair pay, better sick leave and equal terms and conditions with other museum staff. Amanda had previously ignored repeated emails, so the guards decided it was time to speak to her face to face.

The office workers at the architectural firm kindly allowed the group to enter the reception area and passed on the message to Amanda. Unfortunately, Amanda didn’t come down to meet them. “All we want is to speak to her for two minutes, and we will leave peacefully and quietly,” Urzula, UVW striker and representative for the guards at the V&A, explained. “We’ve had no response from her. How would you feel if your boss ignored you or your questions for five months?”

When the guards were informed that the office was a “sock-only” zone, they respectfully removed their shoes before entering. Eventually, after a short stay in the reception area, Amanda promised to respond to the guards’ email by Friday, 24 January.

“We are a bit disappointed Amanda didn’t come down to have a face-to-face chat regarding what’s going on in the three museums,” said Eddie, another UVW striker and representative at the V&A. “But we are looking forward to her response, and hopefully, it will be a positive one.”

The guards, employed by security contractor Wilson James, are standing strong in their historic strike for better pay and conditions. They are demanding the same terms as other museum workers, including fair sick pay and an end to poverty wages.

While they wait patiently for Amanda’s reply, the guards are also preparing contingency plans in case their demands remain unmet. These plans include escalating their strike to a full month in February. Eddie emphasised their resolve: “We will continue to fight for our rights and for everyone to be treated fairly at the V&A and across all the other museums for as long as it takes.”

As the guards prepare for the possibility of further action, they’re calling on the public to show their support. You can help by sending an email to museum bosses using this quick tool: Support the Security Guards at Natural History and Science Museums.

Stay tuned for more updates on their courageous fight.

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