Rome, Oct. 6 largest demonstration ever by cultural workers. Here are the reasons

On October 6, 2018, Rome will be the scene of a major demonstration by cultural workers, the first in history that will see them united for a common goal: to emphasize the importance of cultural work. The protection of heritage is enshrined in Article 9 of the Constitution, and Article 1 states that the Republic is founded on work, yet, organizers point out, cultural employment is not growing due to the extensive use of illegal or free labor, rights and salaries are being slashed year after year, and continuous privatizations are affecting one of the vital sectors for the Italian economy without benefit to the citizenry.

“We call together all our colleagues, all Italian citizens, and in general all those who care about the cultural and artistic heritage of this country,” reads the event’s manifesto, “for the first unified National Manifestation for Culture and Labor.” Despite its enormous contribution to the country each year, the document continues, “the cultural sector is forced to function (poorly) under constant conditions of forced economic constraints, with investment and employment well below the European average. The Superintendencies are understaffed, constantly in emergency - for years exponents of different political forces have been calling for their closure -; museums, archaeological sites, theaters, cinemas, archives and libraries are closing, one after the other; retirements often follow one another in the absence of turnover; the Single Fund for the Performing Arts is constantly falling (-55% since 1985); outsourcing since 1993 has affected services that are increasingly essential to the life of cultural places. The damage is obvious: 80% of Italians (Istat 2015 data) have never gone to the theater during the year, 68% have never visited a museum, 56% have never read a book. This not only creates a problem of economic and social exclusion, but also allows the proliferation of false and anti-historical theories that foment hatred and divisions, far removed from historical-archaeological, or literary reality: theories that are increasingly widespread in society and in political debate, all the way to the institutions.”

For these and other reasons, professionals will make very specific demands, including: raising Italy’s investment in culture to 1.5 percent of GDP, in line with other European countries; increasing public funding to the performing arts sector (Single Fund for the Performing Arts and local funding), modifying the criteria for its bestowal according to true principles of pluralism, transparency, real control of criteria, avoiding centralism and marginalization dictated by lack of standards; promote a new, coherent, homogeneous and shareable national system of qualification as a tourist guide; enforce the existing National Contracts, stipulating that the lack of this requirement automatically results in the forfeiture of funding; finally create a national contract of the audiovisual sector; promote the recruitment in the ministerial ranks of at least 3,500 workers by 2020, starting with the successful candidates in the competition of 500 MiBACT officials, in order to achieve full coverage of turnover; redefine professional needs in such a way as to ensure the possibility to fulfill all the tasks specified by the 2004 Code, upgrading services and raising standards of protection, which have been mortified by the latest organizational reforms; reform Law 4/1993 (Ronchey Law) and review the outsourcing system, in order to protect Public Heritage and labor; and re-catalyze where necessary, as in the case of opera-symphony foundations or essential services of Museums, Libraries and Archives.

Venue and route of the demonstration remain to be determined. In the meantime, the full text of the reasons can be read on the website of the Mi Riconosci collective, which is organizing the demonstration.

Rome, Oct. 6 largest demonstration ever by cultural workers. Here are the reasons

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