Culture: Negotiations between unions and authorities

Cultural workers are increasingly expressing their dissatisfaction. Last week, the Minister of Culture, Natalia Intotero, had a meeting with representatives of the unions in the field, stating that she asked for concrete proposals to be made in order to ""be able to build viable solutions together''. According to the minister: ""I had an open and constructive dialogue with representatives of the National Federation of Trade Unions in Culture and the Press CulturMedia. We discussed the real problems that employees in the cultural sector are facing: the low level of salaries and the salary inequities between museum and library staff, two topics that deeply affect the motivation and stability of professionals in this field.'' According to her, culture must be a priority, to be closely linked to education: ""I carefully followed the unions' protest organized on the National Day of Culture - a gesture that underlines the seriousness of the problems in this sector. It is essential to find sustainable solutions, and for this we need collaboration. I emphasized that it is not enough to limit ourselves to requests, but we asked the unions to come up with concrete proposals in order to build viable solutions together.'' To continue the dialogue, a new meeting was set for February. ""I am determined to support this vital sector for our national identity and to make all the necessary efforts so that the voices of those in culture are heard and respected,'' said the minister. The National Federation of Culture and Press Unions "CulturMedia' protested on National Culture Day, with white armbands, to draw attention to the underfunding of Culture and the wage inequities to which employees in museums, libraries and cultural centers are subjected.