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23.04.2025 / News / Justice for Cleaners / Natural History, Science and V&A Museums

UVW cleaners at the V&A museum win 18% pay rise

The outsourced cleaners at the Victoria and Albert museum (V&A) in London, mostly migrants from Latin America, outsourced to contractor TSS, have won their fight for a pay rise. Before joining United Voices of the World (UVW) union, the workers were offered a measly 6% pay rise but since unionising and threatening to strike the workers got an 18% pay rise.

The cleaners, outsourced to Total Support Services (TSS), who keep the world-renowned museum spotless, were being treated unfairly compared to directly employed staff. These workers were paid just £11.75 an hour, just pennies above the minimum wage. But they had enough of poverty wages and inferior conditions and demanded £14.50 an hour, alongside full sick pay from day one and an extra week of annual leave. (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.)

Another example of migrant workers at the forefront of the fight to re-distribute wealth — one strike at time! 

This win 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!

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