V&A East opens; 21k demand £14.80 living wage
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- V&A East opened in Stratford on Saturday, showcasing fabrics, photos and black British music, and is billed as one of the UK's most significant new museum projects.
- The V&A complies with the legal minimum wage (£12.71) and pays many staff the London living wage (£14.80), but some low‑paid contractors still earn less than the living wage.
- Organise and Citizens UK launched an open letter to V&A director Sir Tristram Hunt, signed by more than 21,000 people, demanding a £14.80 living wage for every worker at the museum.
- National Gallery and other institutions such as the National Theatre, Tate and Imperial War Museum are living‑wage accredited, while V&A Dundee holds the accreditation but the V&A’s London sites do not.
- Roxy Khan‑Williams, head of campaigns at Organise, argued that taxpayers expect publicly funded institutions to pay a fair wage, linking workers’ dignity to public engagement.
- V&A spokesperson asserted that all staff receive the London living wage or higher and that the majority of contractors also meet that rate.
Why it matters: Museum workers and low‑paid contractors would receive a £14.80 living wage, improving dignity and purchasing power, while the V&A would align with other publicly funded cultural institutions that already meet the standard, reducing criticism and potential reputational damage and could improve public trust.
