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26.03.2025 / News / Justice for Cleaners / Natural History, Science and V&A Museums

UVW cleaners at the V&A museum join the fight for a fair wage 

“We need a fair wage. We can’t make ends meet.”

Like so many outsourced workers in wealthy institutions, the cleaners at the Victoria and Albert museum (V&A) in London, now members of UVW and mostly migrants from Latin America, are overworked and underpaid. Outsourced to contractor TSS, they keep the world-renowned museum spotless but are treated unfairly compared to directly employed staff.

These workers are paid just £11.75 an hour, just pennies above the minimum wage. They get no company sick pay and lose 100% of their pay for the first three days of sickness, only getting £23.35 a day after that. But they have had enough of poverty wages and inferior conditions. They are now demanding £14.50 an hour, full sick pay from day one and an extra week of annual leave.

The cleaners, outsourced to Total Support Services (TSS), are the backbone of one of the world’s most famous museums. Yet, they are treated as second-class compared to directly employed staff.

This comes as UVW security guards at the Natural History, Science and V&A museums await an offer in respect of pay and other benefits after several rounds of strikes over better pay and conditions, proving that outsourced museum workers across London are standing up and saying: enough is enough!

The V&A prides itself on being a progressive institution. It’s time for museum bosses to back up their words and offer the cleaners the same dignity and respect given to other staff. They should bring the cleaners in-house!

If the museum and TSS refuses to negotiate, UVW cleaner members at the V&A will be balloted for strike action.

Support the museum cleaners. Write to their bosses using this easy tool >>

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