Ministry of Culture demands elimination of wage inequities in the sector

The Ministry of Culture has submitted to the Ministry of Labor, Family, Youth and Social Solidarity a series of proposals for the new law on unitary remuneration, requesting the correction of wage imbalances that have been affecting employees in the cultural sector for years. The institution claims that the current wage scale does not reflect the level of responsibility and complexity of the work carried out by specialists in museums, libraries, cultural centers and cultural media institutions. According to the ministry, the principle underlying the proposals is that of equal remuneration for work of equal value. Thus, the authorities propose bringing the wage levels of specialist positions in heritage and culture closer to those existing in the performing arts sector and a more balanced correlation with professions in the education system.

• Analysis based on the World Bank methodology

The document submitted to the Ministry of Labor was developed following consultations with representative trade union organizations and debates within the Social Dialogue Commission. The evaluation of the positions was carried out using the methodology used by the World Bank in the framework of the salary reform. The analysis compared the positions of specialist in culture with that of a teacher in pre-university education, with a first-degree teaching degree and over 25 years of experience. The criteria taken into account included the level of studies, the complexity of the activity, decision-making responsibility, social impact, coordination, professional communication and working conditions. The conclusion of the ministry is that specialists in museums and libraries reach similar levels, and in many cases even higher, in terms of the complexity of the duties and professional responsibility.

• Responsibilities without equivalent in other fields

The ministry draws attention to the specifics of the activity carried out by museographers, restorers and conservators, who manage unique cultural assets and make decisions with irreversible effects on the national heritage. According to the institution, an expertise regarding the classification or downgrading of a heritage object produces direct legal consequences, and specialists are personally liable, including criminally and patrimonially, for the assets classified in the Treasure category under their management. In addition, restorers and conservators frequently work in environments that involve exposure to chemicals, biological materials and other potentially toxic or allergenic agents. The ministry also highlights the situation of archaeologists, involved in field research often carried out in difficult conditions and within large infrastructure projects. In many cases, the continuation of work on highways or railways depends on the completion of archaeological research and the issuance of the necessary permits.

• Heritage libraries, undervalued in the current grids

Special attention is paid to national libraries and large heritage libraries. The ministry believes that previous evaluations have treated the librarian profession generically, without differentiating between the activity in local libraries and that carried out in institutions that manage collections of national importance. According to the press release, specialists in these institutions manage manuscripts, rare documents, incunabula, historical maps and other heritage collections, simultaneously carrying out research, conservation, restoration and digitization activities. "The responsibility is identical. The salary is not," the Ministry of Culture emphasizes, referring to the comparison between heritage librarians and museographers who manage assets classified as national cultural heritage.

• Proposals for technical corrections and elimination of differences between institutions

In addition to balancing the salary scales, the ministry also proposes a series of technical amendments to the draft law. These aim to unify some positions that currently have identical coefficients, introduce some positions absent from the scales, reposition some positions considered incorrectly ranked and eliminate salary differences between national and local institutions. The ministry warns that the hiring freeze in recent years has contributed to the aging of museum and library staff, and more competitive salaries could facilitate the attraction of a new generation of specialists.

The Ministry of Culture states that the dialogue with social partners and institutions involved in the development of the new Salary Law will continue, the objective being that the final form of the normative act adequately reflects the value of the work carried out in the cultural sector and its contribution to the development of society. The approach comes in a broader context of the revision of the public sector salary system, in which several professional categories are requesting the re-establishment of the remuneration scales according to levels the level of competence, responsibility and social impact of the activity carried out.