On Tuesday, 8 December, Minister of Culture Indrek Saar and Chairman of the Board of the Estonian Employees' Unions' Confederation (TALO) Ago Tuuling signed the agreement of common intentions pursuant to which the minimum monthly gross wages of a cultural professional will increase to at least 830 euros from 2016. The signed agreement of common intentions concerns all full-time cultural professionals with a degree, who are working in government agencies, state-owned private foundations and public law agencies in a position of their specialty requiring an academic degree or a professional qualification equivalent to an academic degree.
“Cultural professionals, who stand for the vitality and sustainability of Estonian culture every day, must receive decent wages for their work. The agreement that was concluded today provides for the increase of the minimum monthly gross wages from 731 euros to 830 euros. This a step closer to the goal set in the foundation document of the cultural policy “The Fundamentals of Cultural Policy Until 2020,” pursuant to which the minimum wages of a cultural professional with a degree should be lower than the average national salary,” said Minister of Culture Indrek Saar.
Chairman of the Board of the Estonian Employees' Unions' Confederation (TALO) Ago Tuuling noted that the negotiations were initiated on common grounds. “I am glad to admit that several essential topics, such as the minimum wages of cultural professionals and development of the concept of recreational activities for young people, have started to make a significant progress. In the field of culture, our common interest is to secure the sectoral sustainability and increasing number of specialists. The needs are always higher, but by remaining pragmatic and relying on economic factors, we can be fully satisfied with the concluded agreement. We managed to achieve a 13.5 % increase in minimum wages compared to the last year,” added Tuuling.
The agreed principles are recommended for all institutions active in the field of culture, regardless of their administrative subordination or ownership.
More information
Piret Hartman
Adviser to the Minister of Culture
[email protected]
5340 5002