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Description
Culture is one of the sectors most affected by corona crises, while pandemic circumstances have underlined its cohesive potential and importance for social recovery. Research shows that even before the crisis, working conditions in culture were poor. However, in 2015, the Ministry of Culture and Media of the Republic of Croatia showed that it does not care about working conditions in NGOs by changing guidelines for the Public needs in Culture Open Call and declaring salary costs non eligible. These workers were also left out of the crisis measures. The aim of the project is to empower workers, artists and NGOs in the field of culture in Croatia in self-organization and joint advocacy of cultural policies based on the principles of public good and decent working conditions. We request a change in the conditions of the Open call for Public needs in culture which would make salaries and indirect costs in the amount of up to 25% an eligible costs, and an increase of the total budget for public needs. Our 1st activity involves hiring a legal expert to investigate national laws and other acts that can serve as a basis for advocating changes. Through 2nd activity, mobilization of target groups, we will build a strong "back up" and provide support to our demands. In the 3rd activity we will conduct a public campaign that will culminate before the announcement of the Open cal for public needs in culture. Our primary beneficiaries are NGOs (workers, associates, members), initiatives, art organizations and associations of cultural NGOs, which we want to empower and mobilize for grounded advocacy. We also aim at the support of the wider cultural and NGO field, unions, public institutions and decision makers, since it is in the interest of all of them to have an accessible culture produced in adequate conditions. The only way to achieve that is to fight for it ourselves.
Summary of project results
Within this project, in anticipation of the Call for Proposals for Public Programs of Culture in the Republic of Croatia for 2022, we sent requests to our home ministry - the Ministry of Culture and Media of the Republic of Croatia - requesting changes to tender conditions to improve working conditions in the field. due to the crisis caused by the corona virus pandemic. Specifically, we sent two requests: an increase in the budget for public needs programs in culture in the Republic of Croatia and the possibility that up to 25% of the budget for public needs programs in culture be spent on salaries and cold drive of non-profit organizations.
Through cooperation with lawyer Luka Kurjan, we analyzed the legal framework for financing public needs programs in culture and the current practice of the Ministry of Culture and Media, which found that the Ministry of Culture and Media violates the Regulation by not allowing funding of salaries tender. We conducted a public campaign through which we mobilized a wider range of independent cultural organizations, artists, cultural workers, civil society organizations, trade unions, art organizations and initiatives. Through an online petition, by September 13, 2021, we had gathered the support of 720 individuals and 144 organizations, associations and initiatives from the country and abroad. We submitted the requests, together with the signatures of support and the results of the legal analysis, twice to the Ministry of Culture and Media of the Republic of Croatia.
The campaign, broad support, successful legal analysis and communication with the competent authorities were a success, so the Ministry of Culture and Media of the Republic of Croatia, in the Call for Proposals for Public Needs in Culture for 2022 announced on September 20, 2021, changed the terms of the tender. salary costs of up to 20% of the budget are accepted, which we consider to be an extremely positive result that gives us and other cultural workers, artists and CSOs, not only in the field of culture, a wind in the back.