Arts Workers Must Live Not at the Poverty Line, but at the Value They Deserve!

ART WORKERS SHOULD LIVE NOT AT THE HUNGER LINE BUT AT THE VALUE THEY DESERVE!

TO THE PRESS AND THE PUBLIC

The State Theatres, an institution of the Republic now completing its 75th year, continues its work with the strength it draws from the Constitution, its founding law and the relevant legislation. This distinguished art institution — possessing legal personality and fully institutionalised — has seen many administrators come and go over the years. But those who truly keep the institution standing are its art workers, artists and technical staff, who, despite every difficulty and with great sacrifice, continue their struggle together with the public.

Our artists, who hold an important place in society by virtue of the value they create, have over the years come to receive wages close to the hunger line. The recent statement by the Director General of the State Theatres, Mr. Tamer Karadağlı, is unfortunately quite superficial, unsupported by statistics, casts suspicion on the whole institution and its employees — an institution that reaches thousands of spectators with at least 150 productions a year through hard labour — and is, moreover, open to many misunderstandings. The office Mr. Karadağlı holds is an office for producing solutions; it is surprising that he appears unaware of the executive powers vested in him. What those powers are, and what they cover, is clearly set out in the relevant laws.

While his office's responsibilities include protecting and improving the personnel, financial and social rights of the art workers who carry out their duties with honour, it is astonishing that he complains publicly about the artists under his own administration.

Rather than the needless controversy created by Mr. Karadağlı's unfortunate statement, we insistently expect a solution, within the framework of the laws and regulations, to the below-hunger-line financial situation of artists, technicians and staff, and a focus on the theatre's real problems; we expect artists and technical staff to be able to live without needing second jobs, a solution to salaries that have been melting for years, at the very least the reflection of across-the-board raises in bonuses, and an administration that embraces all its employees with a fair outlook.

It must also be added: artists are the guarantee of freedom of thought and expression; they are the spokespeople of the public. Trying to intimidate them with investigations, warnings and similar threats in the face of criticism is a futile effort. It is therefore essential that the following questions about the Director General's statements be answered:

• —Is there a single artist of ours who was assigned work and said "I will not work"?
• —Why have the artists you claim have not worked for years not been assigned work?
• —How many artists are there who want to work and have submitted projects, yet have been given no assignment?
• —Have these artists' incentives, in fact, been cut?
• —On what legal basis are incentive cuts being made?

These questions could be multiplied. Problems should first be resolved within the State Theatres' traditional mechanisms of debate and resolution, together with democratic mass organisations, and only then shared with the public.

No public institution official complains about their employees to society. Art institutions, above all, are built on teamwork. And employees, conscious of the value we create together with society, continue to serve to the remotest corners of Anatolia in a manner befitting an artist's sensibility and dignity.

We declare that this negative perception created against the State Theatres will be broken by the unity, struggle, hope and organised strength of art workers, and we present our respects to the public.