The Demands of Cultural Workers Are Being Brought to the Collective Negotiation Table and the Ministry Meeting!

The Demands of Cultural Workers Are Being Brought to the Collective Negotiation Table and the Ministry Meeting!

On April 30, with the participation of Mr. Orhan Yıldırım, President of the United Public Sector Workers’ Confederation, we held comprehensive consultation meetings with our ballet and choir artists employed by the Istanbul State Opera and Ballet (DOB), coordinated by our union, Kültür Emek-Sen.

During these meetings, where we met separately with our choir and ballet workers, the pressing issues in the field, economic expectations, and potential solutions were discussed in detail.

Economic Rights and Legal Proceedings

Were discussed during the discussions, the injustices in incentive and bonus practices, as well as the failure to reflect the across-the-board pay raise in additional payments, were thoroughly debated. Our union informed our members about the ongoing court proceedings it has initiated in response to these rights violations. Additionally, the legal and administrative efforts being undertaken to resolve the rank, grade, and adjustment crises faced by our artists transitioning from 4B status to permanent positions were shared.

“The Voice of Cultural Workers Will Be Heard Loud and Clear at the Collective Bargaining Table”

Speaking at the meeting, Orhan Yıldırım, General President of the United Public Sector Workers’ Confederation (Birleşik Kamu-İş), emphasized that the demands of the public and culture-arts sectors cannot be ignored at the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) table where the confederation will sit. Yıldırım announced that if they act together to protect the material and labor rights of all workers affiliated with the State Theaters (DT) and the General Directorate of Fine Arts (GSGM), they will create a very strong agenda in the national press and public opinion.

Our Artists’ Concrete Demands Are on Record During consultations with our Istanbul DOB workers, the real issues in the creative process were listened to one by one and documented. Our clear demands that have emerged and require urgent solutions are as follows:

• DÖSİM Share: Ensuring that cultural and artistic workers receive a fair share of DÖSİM revenues. • City Allowance: Implementing a “City Allowance” to alleviate the heavy economic burden of living in Istanbul and maintain living standards. • Wear and Tear Allowance: The urgent regulation of the “Actual Service Allowance (Wear and Tear Allowance)” for disciplines requiring intense physical performance both on and off stage. • Military Service Status: Enactment of a special legal regulation, appropriate to the nature of the profession, regarding the military service status that interrupts the artistic and physical careers of male ballet dancers (ballerinas). • AKM Physical Conditions: Improvement of the parking problem, cafeteria quality, lack of social spaces, and physical working conditions at the Atatürk Cultural Center (AKM) to meet current standards. These demands, voiced directly by our cultural workers—and particularly the physical issues centered on the AKM—have been addressed in projects initiated by our union on several occasions over the past years; they will be presented as the first and most important agenda item in the upcoming meeting with the relevant Ministry.

As Kültür Emek-Sen, we draw our strength from the field and our voice from the justice of our cause. No issue faced by our colleagues will be swept under the rug; our struggle will continue shoulder to shoulder at the negotiating table, in the field, and on the stage.

Kültür Emek-Sen