Unionists sound the alarm about the abuse and humiliation of museum staff

Life in domestic museums is not as peaceful as we might be tempted to imagine. The employees of the National Art Museum of Romania "are terrorized, forced to perform additional unpaid work, without their consent and constantly threatened with various disciplinary commissions", according to the Culture and Media Trade Union Federation CulturMedia, which notified the Bucharest Territorial Labor Inspectorate, the Labor Inspection and the Ministry of Labor. The Ministry of Culture announced last week that it will send the Control Body to MNAR.

The Federation of Trade Unions in Culture and Press CulturMedia is sounding the alarm regarding the abuse, humiliation and discrediting of museum staff, an endemic and serious problem in some cultural institutions in Romania. The recent case of repeated abuses at the National Art Museum of Romania is not a singular one, but is part of a wider pattern of unacceptable behavior on the part of some employers. According to the Federation: "As a result of the notifications from the employees of this museum, FNSCP CulturMedia participated in mediation meetings, notified the Bucharest Territorial Labor Inspectorate, the Labor Inspectorate and the Ministry of Labor, notifications resulting in evasive, inadequate or no responses, although they they signaled serious abuses, going as far as harming human dignity. One of the memos mentions aspects that describe the type of sexual harassment". Thus, FNSCP CulturMedia has shown in reports that, at the National Art Museum of Romania, employees are terrorized, forced to perform additional unpaid work, without their consent and constantly threatened with various disciplinary commissions. The management of the Museum hired the services of a law firm (Vasilescu and associates, through av. Cornelia Ştefănică), which seems to give the abuses a legal justification and sow terror among the employees. Despite the repeated notifications sent to the Bucharest Territorial Labor Inspectorate, the Labor Inspectorate and the Ministry of Culture, the answers were inadequate or non-existent, thus allowing the abuses to continue.

According to the Federation, memos submitted on April 19, 2024 to the Ministry of Culture with no. 2311, 2312, 2313, 2314, 2315, 2316, 2317 were also addressed to the museum's ethics advisor, an advisor who declined, in writing, his competences.

The complaints specify: "Verbal intimidation by using a high tone, insults, insults, unreasonable criticism. Contacting employees during vacations or outside working hours. Reprimanding or displaying a hostile attitude if subordinates did not respond to him or if they did not fulfill what was asked of them. Forcing and threatening disciplinary commissions in case they objectively refused to perform additional work.

Exercising pressure through excessive supervision. For example: monitoring the time spent in the toilet, including requiring them to have their phone in the toilet to answer when called by the manager.

Duties that are unclear, inconsistent and incomplete or that exceed the duties in the job descriptions. Imposing excessively short deadlines for carrying out activities and overloading with work tasks (stress and physical exhaustion fall under the scope of moral harassment at the workplace). Requesting tasks outside the field of activity, which exceed the job description. Constant discrediting of professional skills and humiliating colleagues. For some colleagues, it was manifested by their elimination from projects that were strictly related to their competences and which, moreover, were mentioned in the job descriptions". Also reported: "Isolation of a colleague, physically, so that he is separated from other team members, their constant moving, exaggerated and coercive attitude in relation to the occurrence of minor human mistakes (which were immediately remedied), the coercive and discretionary use of control tools. Non-granting of vacations and intimidation regarding medical leave or parental leave. He told an employee who had returned from parental leave that she was on a long vacation and that he would not cope with trying to get her to resign. Maintaining a large number of interim management positions (without putting them up for competition, although there were numerous competitions during the current director's term, no management position was put up for competition), this being a mechanism of coercion and control of those appointed in these positions and to put pressure on the team.

Intimidation of some colleagues who are in the union, to make them resign. Blackmailing some colleagues so that they file complaints or take action against other colleagues who were in the director's crosshairs.

Failure to respect employees' personal space". One of the memos reports aspects that describe the type of sexual harassment.

The Federation of Trade Unions in Culture and Press CulturMedia asks the prime minister "to get involved urgently to stop these systematic abuses and to ensure the respect of the rights of museum employees. It is essential that the competent authorities intervene and protect the dignity and due respect of the personnel in the cultural institutions". CulturMedia will continue the "Dignity and Respect" campaign and the fight for the legal rights of museum employees.