How will museums be affected by the inevitable reduction of staff due to financial reasons?
MúzeumCafé 26.
Zsófia Demeter, head of the Fejér County Museums Directorate: Reducing the staff in itself isn’t a big issue. Of course, from a human point of view it’s very difficult, but the circumstances don’t allow consideration of that. Courage is needed in that the ever growing volume of tasks is performed on a constant, moreover increasingly better level. For this you definitely need a certain determination, cooperation, love of the profession, concentration of energy and endless overtime (which anyway cannot be paid for). Thus what’s needed is outstanding, resolute human resources. In this process it becomes really clear who can match the tempo and who has the necessary reserves.
András Földiák, president of the Trade Union of Employees of Public Collections and Cultural Institutions: We have been striving for decades to ensure that the financing of culture should not be regarded as a residual matter. Culture should not always be the last in line to receive financial support, whereby only what remains is squeezed from the budget. Moreover, decisions should not always exclusively be taken on the basis of financial considerations – “We can give so much, but unfortunately there’s no more.” Rather sometimes there should be cultural aims. So if we want to attain something, to maintain a level of operations, the money should be allocated – not the other way round.
Mrs István Balázs, financial director of the Petőfi Museum of Literature: The plan for freezing finances adopted at the start of 2011 and later the diversion of blocked funds has put public collections in a difficult situation. Dwindling resources, less investment and the ever increasing necessity to raise income characterise the budgets of museums. In recent years state support for the Museum of Literature has gradually fallen.