Theme 2008: Cultural diversity
SOCIAL DIALOGUE ABOUT CULTURAL DIVERSITY
Seminar 2008
Organised by the CNV KUNSTENBOND, with participation of cultural trade-unions around Europe.
Location: SBI/Zonneheuvel in Doorn, the Netherlands
August 2 – August 7 2008
CONCLUSIONS
- Europe is a patchwork of so many and very different local communities. This fascinating diversity is essential for the future of the European culture and work in the sector art & culture.
- The essential cultural diversity cannot exist without a social-cultural dialogue.
- Such dialogues need to be organised. Actors should be cultural groups, trade-unions, local politics, churches.
- The suggestion is to avoid ‘multi-cultural’ and use instead ‘inter-cultural’ as key words
- Dialogue is only possible if we communicate in the same language. Language education is essentional.
- Values become more and more important. Education (school, vocational)should bring the important values of Europe to students and newcomers.
- The arts are the core of the fast growing ‘cultural industries’. But no art, without the artists. These ‘cultural workers’ have often been pushed into a selfemployed situation. In most nations there are hardly any good provisions and structures to help/sustain like health-care, social security, retirement plans. It is important tha the new debates about flexacurity will include the very special situations of the artists/cultural workers. Politics should start thinking about these situations.
- Trade unions need to participate in this changing climate giving work to ten thousands of self-employed, flexible workers.
- Easily safety(safe work) and health are forgotten, but those aspects are essential contexts for our human capital. Here trade-unions and governements need to work together towards fair regulations and implementations.