V&A strike suspended after improved pay offer

A planned strike at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London has been suspended after the museum made an improved pay offer to its staff. Members of the Prospect and PCS unions had voted to strike on Thursday and Friday. The walkout would have closed the V&A's main galleries in South Kensington, as well as V&A East, V&A Storehouse and Young V&A in east London.

The dispute covers pay and working conditions, and it has already included two separate two-day strikes in September. PCS has suspended its strikes planned for 29 and 30 October so that talks facilitated by Acas, the UK service that helps employers and unions negotiate, can take place. Prospect and the V&A have confirmed that their strike is suspended while negotiations continue.

The V&A's latest offer gives an average pay rise of 4.18% and a 6.9% increase for its lowest-paid colleagues. It also raises bank holiday pay to 1.5 times normal pay, introduces a bonus scheme and provides a subsidised food offer for staff at all V&A sites.

The unions are asking for a 4% pay increase for staff earning above the London living wage, which is currently £15.45 an hour. They also want the V&A to become an accredited London living-wage employer within 12 months. Further demands include time-and-a-half pay for bank holiday working, improvements to working during heatwaves, and better food at the museum's east London sites.

V&A Dundee, the museum's Scottish site, is an accredited living-wage employer and is not involved in the dispute.

The V&A said all of its museums will be open this week, including all exhibitions, free displays and planned half-term activities.