The FDA, Prospect and PCS, as unions representing staff at the V&A museum, have welcomed the museum’s announcement that it is rethinking its curatorial restructure plans, but have called on the government to provide immediate additional funding.

The unions have called for ministers to provide meaningful support to the culture sector to deal with the impact of the pandemic, and to preserve access to, and the world-leading expertise of, our cultural institutions.

FDA National Officer Helen Kenny said that she was “pleased that the V&A has taken our views on board and rethought their original very radical proposals.” However, she added that the unions remain very concerned and disappointed that the reorganisation “will see a number of roles axed and the loss of many highly experienced professionals”, and is being “forced through because of a lack of government funding.”

“Ministers have left the museum in an impossible position, and they must now look to find sufficient additional funding to protect the V&A’s collection and world-leading expertise, and, more generally, to safeguard the future of our vital cultural institutions.”