STAFF at Wroughton's Science Museum collections centre voted to go on strike.

Science Museum Group members of the Prospect union backed walkouts by a vote of four to one in protest at a wage rise of 1.5 per cent.

The dispute affects every museum in the group, including the Wroughton site where construction on a massive collection centre that will house much of the museum's vast archive is underway.

Union spokeswoman Sharon Brown said: "Our members love what they do but they cannot carry on with year after year of real-terms pay cuts. People will be astonished at how poorly its staff are paid, especially when they see that the director has seen his pay increase by a third in just four years.

The Science Museum Group said: "We are disappointed by the outcome of Prospect Union's ballot and will seek to minimise any disruption to the public's enjoyment of our museums should the union decide to go ahead with industrial action.

"Our pay offer included a 6.9 per increase for the lowest paid employees as part of a settlement that saw all employees receive an increase of at least 1.5 per cent.

"Overall the settlement represents a 2.7 per cent increase in salary costs which we believe was a reasonable offer, given the challenging overall financial picture."