A row over pay has broken out at the V&A before the opening of its newest site , with thousands of people calling for it to become a living wage employer.

On Saturday, V&A East will open its doors in Stratford, east London, showcasing stunning fabrics, photos and black British music. It joins a wider group of V&A museums including its original site in South Kensington, Young V&A in Bethnal Green and V&A Dundee. The V&A describes its latest opening as one of the most significant new museum projects in the UK.

The original V&A museum opened in 1852. Its mission is to “promote art and design for all” and to champion design and creativity in all its forms. It holds millions of objects and in recent years has hosted high-profile exhibitions about Taylor Swift and Naomi Campbell, and photographs from Sir Elton John and David Furnish’s collection.

While the V&A complies with all legal minimum-wage requirements, with some workers paid a living wage or above, campaigners say some of the lowest-paid contractors in London are not in receipt of the living wage. The UK minimum wage is £12.71 an hour and the living wage in London is £14.80 an hour.

According to the Living Wage Foundation, the living wage is the only UK wage rate that meets the real cost of living.

The worker-led platform Organise, which aims to secure better rights in the workplace, and Citizens UK, a campaigning organisation, have coordinated an open letter to the V&A director, Sir Tristram Hunt, and other senior V&A officials, calling for the £14.80 rate for all workers at the museums. So far, more than 21,000 people have signed it. It demands “a fair day’s wage for a fair day’s work” and states that publicly funded institutions such as museums should pay all workers the living wage.

Many other museums and cultural attractions such as the National Gallery, the National Theatre, the Tate and the Imperial War Museum are accredited living wage employers. V&A’s London sites do not have this accreditation, but V&A Dundee does.

Roxy Khan-Williams, the head of campaigns at Organise said: “The public expects institutions funded by taxpayers to treat all workers fairly. Paying the real living wage is not just a moral issue – it directly affects how people engage with these institutions.”

Frankie Webster, a community organiser at Citizens UK, said: “At its heart, the real living wage is about dignity. Everyone deserves to earn enough so that they’re able to live a decent life. It’s time for the V&A to make sure everyone who works there is paid the real living wage.”

A spokesperson said: “All V&A staff are paid the London living wage or higher, and have been for many years. The majority of our contractors also pay the living wage or higher.”