The Victoria & Albert Museum is launching a voluntary exit scheme for staff, as employees at its main site in South Kensington continue with planned strike action.
The V&A said it was facing “rising operational costs, driven by inflation, economic uncertainty and reduced visitor spending”, adding that it was exploring a wide range of cost-saving measures.
According to the Public and Commercial Services Union, the announcement came as the V&A’s management had projected cumulative operational deficits of £19m by 2030, despite the museum holding £72.1m in available funds.
The charity did not comment on the alleged projected deficit.
In a statement, the V&A said: “Like many organisations, the V&A is facing rising operating costs, driven by inflation, economic uncertainty and reduced visitor spending.
“While we continue to receive government support, below-inflation settlements mean a real-terms reduction in funding over the coming years.”
The V&A added: “As a result, our organisational strategy for 2026 to 2030 is underpinned by a cautious approach to financial planning and we’re exploring a wide range of measures to reduce costs, including launching a voluntary exit scheme.”
The museum declined to answer questions about the savings it was seeking to make, how many staff it needed to take up the scheme or whether it would consider mandatory redundancies.
The union said staff were informed of the voluntary exit scheme just one day before planned strike action at the museum’s South Kensington site, with staff walking out today and tomorrow.
The charity previously closed its three other London sites – Young V&A, V&A East and V&A Storehouse – on 4 and 5 September due to strike action.
The industrial action has been jointly coordinated by PCS and Prospect Union, which have a total of nearly 800 members among the V&A’s 1,250-strong workforce.
Staff demands include increased pay on bank holidays, an improved pay offer for workers on band six or above and improved working conditions in extreme heat.
According to a recent letter from the museum’s director Tristram Hunt, seen by Third Sector, the charity’s latest offer includes a bank holiday rate increase to 1.5 times pay, a “sector-leading bonus scheme” and a “commitment to paying at least the London Living Wage”.
But PCS disputed some of the claims in Hunt’s letter, saying the pay rise amounted to just 3.25 for the vast majority of staff, aside from the lowest-paid employees.
The union has also claimed that water fountains at the V&A East Storehouse are “insufficient” and “often broken”.
Staff are calling for improved access to water at the site, as well as a cross-site policy to close galleries when temperatures reach 30°C – a policy already in place at the South Kensington site.
In response to the announcement of the voluntary exit scheme, PCS said it was “concerned that reducing staffing levels will place additional pressure on remaining workers”, adding that some teams may be unable to absorb further cuts without affecting working conditions and service delivery.
The union has called on management to protect members’ jobs.