The Minister of Culture advertises “a new fake news” about the overtime in theaters. “It's been going on for over three decades”

The Minister of Culture, Demeter Andras Istvan, said that the managers of cultural institutions have been signing the time sheets of employees for over 30 years and denied that he or the ministry he leads would like such a system, but “that's what happens when liberal professions are governed by universal laws like the Labor Code.”

The official said that a fake news in this regard is circulating in the public space.

“A new fake news is rolling, with intention or not, in the public space: “the minister/Ministry of Culture wants time attendance in theaters like in the factory!”. Nothing more fake! For over three decades, year after year, month after month, the managers of cultural institutions sign the time attendance of employees. And they hand them flyers on which the reference is explicitly written: 20 days or 160 hours (5×8 hours, when the month has 20 days worker)”, declared Demeter Andras Istvan, on Sunday, in a post on Facebook.

He said this situation “has been going on for over 3 decades”.

“Do they have a choice to do otherwise? According to the law, no. Is it correct, just? According to the specifics of the activity, no. The two are fighting each other? Yes. This is what happens when liberal professions are governed by universal laws such as the Labor Code,” concluded the Minister of Culture.

The new working time instructions

The clarifications come in the context in which, on Wednesday, the Ministry of Culture published the new instructions regarding the unitary organization and record of working time for executive functions in public institutions of shows and concerts.

According to the new instructions, the normal duration of working time is, in general, 8 hours per day and 40 hours per week, but its distribution may be uneven, depending on the specifics of the season, rehearsals, performances and tours, Radio Romania Cultural wrote.

The reference interval for work organization will be 12 months, within an annual fund estimated at approximately 1,800 hours.

The document also stipulates the obligation of a detailed record of working time. The activities carried out at the institution's headquarters will be recorded in collective attendance sheets, electronic time attendance systems or other internal documents,

Training and individual study activities outside the institution will be reported through individual monthly documents. They must be approved by the hierarchical superior.

The records will be the basis for the calculation of salary rights.