After several attempts by the General Workers’ Union (GWU) to negotiate a new collective bargaining agreement with the Superintendence of Cultural Heritage, with no progress from management, the GWU is resorting to industrial action. As early as the first quarter of 2021, the GWU had called for negotiations to begin on a new collective bargaining agreement, but those negotiations dragged on for a long time without the necessary progress.
Last summer, the GWU even declared an industrial action because the management (which includes the management of the Superintendence of Cultural Heritage, the Ministry of National Heritage, Arts and Local Government, the Industrial Relations Section – IRU and the Ministry of Finance and Construction) took too long and the financial counter-proposals were never presented.
A labour dispute that was withdrawn after a mediation meeting chaired by DIER in which management agreed to submit and present financials. Although the GWU repeatedly asked management to continue negotiations, management did not respond and informed the GWU that it would file for industrial action due to the lack of progress. Although, due to some internal situations, management asked for ten more days.
A request that was accepted by the GWU, but unfortunately the management did not meet this deadline either, so the GWU has now declared industrial action. GWU members in the Superintendence of Cultural Heritage have been instructed not to take any work related telephone calls (both landline and mobile) from today, Friday 02 December 2022.
This labour action will remain in effect until GWU announces otherwise.
