Cultural sector workers request substantial wage increase
During his regular morning meeting on May 29, Prime Minister L.Oyun-Erdene met the representatives of the culture and arts sector to discuss matters pertaining to the sector, aiming to foster collaboration and address important issues at hand.
In specific, they exchanged views on the implementation of the government decisions and the problems in the field of culture and arts.
The participants of the meeting noted that artists and service workers in the culture and art sector, comprising approximately 30 percent of the total workforce, earn a monthly salary of 500,000 MNT and urged to raise the current wage to 1 million MNT. They also emphasized the need to increase the basic salary for employees at different levels within the sector and provide bonuses for the degree of qualification and expertise in compliance with the provisions outlined in the Law on Culture.
They expressed, “The current budget constraints, resulting from the implementation of the Law on State Austerity, have significantly impacted the ability of libraries and cultural centers to augment their treasury or publication and artwork collections. In addition, measures should be taken to improve the funding and environment for secondary school libraries and allocate sufficient resources for this purpose. Furthermore, it is imperative to address the issue of librarians’ low salaries and the provision of modern equipment for cultural and artistic institutions.”
To elevate the status of professional artists, it is recommended to consider reducing taxes and commissions imposed on wages, while also focusing on providing substantial increases in actual take-home pay. Moreover, state policy should be developed to support lighting and other culture specialists to overcome human resource shortages and improve the overall condition in the sector, the participants commented. A world-class art restoration laboratory was established in the Mongolian Art Gallery with the help of a grant from Germany, but there are no operating costs, and valuable works are stored in rented premises, according to the sector representatives.
Prime Minister L.Oyun-Erdene expressed that he will consider the health, education, science, culture and sports sectors as state professional services and will support them with policy. He promised that the budget will be amended in this context.
The meeting was attended by representatives of the management and artists of the Mongolian Grand Theatre of National Arts, Mongolian State Academic Theatre of Opera and Ballet, Mongolian State Academic Drama Theatre, Mongolian State Philharmonic Orchestra, Choijin Lama Temple Museum, National Library of Mongolia, Children’s Central Library of Mongolia, and Arkhangai Provincial Musical Drama Theatre.