Naples Joins National Cultural Sector Strike Demanding Improved Conditions
Naples, June 12 – Workers across Naples’ cultural sector are set to participate in a nationwide general strike on Friday, June 12, advocating for better working conditions, fair wages, and an end to precarious employment. The strike, billed as the first of its kind in 50 years for museums and libraries, has been heralded by banners and posters displayed throughout the city.
A protest gathering is scheduled for 4:00 PM at Piazza San Domenico, with organizers urging all citizens to join. The initiative is promoted by the ‘Mi Riconosci’ association, in collaboration with various trade unions including FP CGIL, Nidil CGIL, CUB, ADL COBAS, COBAS lavoro privato, CLAP, and USI CT&S. This collective action aims to unite museum and library staff, archivists, theater employees, as well as freelance workers in publishing, entertainment, and artistic production, in a unified call for change.
Addressing Systemic Issues in the Cultural Sector
Marina Minniti, from the ‘Mi Riconosci’ network, emphasized the necessity of a broad and unified strike. “The need for a wide and shared strike,” Minniti stated, “arises from the urgency of recognizing the transversality of the problems afflicting the entire cultural heritage sector. The strike is called by a shared platform of associations and collectives united in the desire for profound change. We are striking for dignified working conditions for everyone; we are striking because the logic of profit must not prevail, and culture cannot be transformed into a mere commodity.”
For decades, the working conditions in this sector have deteriorated. In 2015, a decree was issued that further limited the right to strike in an already impoverished and fragmented sector, under the guise of a routine union assembly. “Eleven years after that blow,” Minniti added, “workers in the sector, all without distinction, are protesting together to ask institutions to stop talking about beauty, pride, and cultural excellence: there is no excellence if workers struggle to make ends meet or are forced to change sectors to survive.”
Naples: A Hub of Precarious Work
Naples, in particular, is not immune to the dynamics of precarious employment within the cultural sector. Minniti highlighted that many city museums employ workers illegally, libraries survive on volunteer labor, and cultural sites are often managed by individuals outside the sector who exploit workers. “We are also here to give a voice to all those precarious workers who, if they reported these conditions, would risk losing their jobs,” she asserted.
The national appeal from ‘Mi Riconosci’ points to a history of disputes in museums and cultural institutions that employ outsourced personnel, often leading to strikes that have resulted in improved conditions. Examples include civic museums in Verona and Milan, the archaeological parks of Pompeii and Herculaneum, and the Uffizi Gallery.
Key Demands for a Transformed Cultural Landscape
The strike’s demands are comprehensive, focusing on transforming the cultural landscape in Italy. These include:
- Recognition and dignity for cultural work: Ensuring that cultural labor is valued and respected.
- Respect for psycho-physical health and workplace safety: Creating secure and healthy working environments.
- Elimination of discrimination, harassment, and violence: Fostering inclusive and safe spaces for work and training.
- Increased hirings in the Ministry of Culture and public administrations: Addressing staff shortages and ensuring adequate remuneration for employees.
- Regulation of cultural volunteering: Establishing clear guidelines to prevent exploitation.
- Overcoming outsourcing and re-internalizing cultural services: Bringing essential services back under direct public management.
- Recognition and application of the Federculture National Collective Bargaining Agreement: Ensuring standardized and fair employment terms.
- Elimination of false VAT numbers and stopping the use of self-employment: Preventing the circumvention of labor laws and ensuring greater rights for freelancers.
- Establishment of a discontinuity income: Providing financial support for cultural professions characterized by structural intermittency.
- Stabilization of precarious workers in research: Recognizing research as legitimate employment.
The strike on June 12 represents a critical moment for cultural workers in Naples and across Italy, as they collectively push for systemic changes to ensure dignity, stability, and proper recognition for their invaluable contributions to society.
