1 – Two months after shows, rehearsals and recordings began to be cancelled due to COVID-19, PCP has a negative evaluation of the government's response to the dramatic situation of thousands of workers and hundreds of structures.
For this evaluation, one need bear in mind the sector's already fragile situation prior to this situation. In fact, as PCP has warned, years and years of underfunding, the absence of labour rights, namely employment contracts, as well as the absence of a cultural policy based on the principles defined in the Constitution of the Republic – a Public Service of Culture – have left the whole sector much more vulnerable and exposed to something deeper than its permanent crisis.
2 – The Government's response, with insufficient and inadequate measures, in line with its policy for Culture, did not contribute to reduce the current epidemiological situation's impact on the lives of artistic workers and structures.
The possibility of resorting to independent workers – with values below those defined as the poverty threshold and excluding a significant part of the sector's workers –, or the attribution of one million euros in support to structures and self-employed workers, recently increased by 700 thousand euros, are glaring examples.
PCP draws attention to the fact that competition for this support – that require presentation of work by the end of the year, at a time when everything is closed and without knowing under what conditions and when it will be possible to reopen show halls – reflects the government's option to permanently eliminate dozens of structures and drive off thousands of workers from the profession. According to the data released last week, two months after the cancellation of activities, of the 1025 applications, only 311 will have some support, 69.7% of the proposals will be excluded! Considering that many of the excluded applications are from structures that did not already have any support, their difficult situation is clear.
According to the information provided to excluded candidates, the list of supported applications will not be made public, and there will be no possibility of appeal. This procedure, dubious to say the least, is indicative of disrespect for an entire sector.
3 – The government announced, in the absence of measures, that the entertainment area would be the first to open. As we await the announcement of the sanitary measures proposed by the National Health Authority, we call attention to two things: the need to defend the rights of workers in the performing arts, cinema and audiovisual sector, in terms of health and return-to-work; and the need for the government to assume its responsibility, without burdening the creative structures with the financial, technical and logistical demands inherent to the sanitary measures to be taken, and which these structures cannot ensure, namely regarding reopening halls.
The necessary sanitary measures need to be adapted, but this cannot be confused with the application of absurd limitations to cultural activities, in contrast to those applied in other sectors, and which prevent their realization and the work of the respective professionals. Culture and cultural activities cannot be regarded as a secondary or disposable good.
PCP reinforces the urgency and need to implement the proposals it has presented to address the health situation, in particular the creation of an Emergency Social Support Fund for workers and structures that is non-competitive, unbureaucratic and does not require the submission of compensation. We know, however, that only a break with the policy that has been followed can give stability and a future to a sector that is indispensable for the development and progress in our country.
