Museum employees from all over the country protested in front of the Ministry of Culture
Articol de Adriana Turea, 19 Mai 2024, 15:28
The Night of Museums, now in its 20th edition, was boycotted this year by most of the country's cultural institutions. Most museums didn't participate in the event, as their staff were unhappy with low salaries and underfunding of culture.
In Bucharest, there was even a protest outside the culture ministry.
- On top of the wages, museum workers are in short supply. We end up doing more than we have in our job description, because there are no people. The buildings that the museums are in are heritage buildings, and they need repairs; we have closed rooms, the roof is rotten and leaking from the ceiling.
From Cluj to Bucharest, in front of the Ministry of Culture?
- Yes, all the way from Cluj, to get out of this wage discrimination, 20 years of neglect, of underfunding of culture in Romania. We want more. We should have brought culture to the surface a long time ago, not now, but if we've come this far, let's go all the way.
CulturMedia Federation representative Decebal Vleja said museum workers are ready to launch a warning strike and then a general strike if the government fails to take action on pay rises.
Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu announced that he had received a number of proposals from the Ministry of Culture which will be analysed and a decision will be taken next week.
Translated by: Radu Matei
