Honorary titles in culture should stay, not subsidize low salaries – Berezhna
Deputy Prime Minister for Humanitarian Policy – Minister of Culture of Ukraine Tetiana Berezhna has said that honorary titles in the field of culture should be retained, but they should not serve as a tool to subsidize low salaries.
"Regarding the titles, I remember the discussions on Facebook. But I also remember the joy of the people who receive these awards. I have personally handed them out on behalf of the President, and it is truly an important recognition that we often lack. It motivates people to keep working. Therefore, these things can be combined: recognition should remain, but it should not be a tool for survival or a means to subsidize low salaries," Berezhna has said in an interview with Suspilne Culture.
She has said that titles should not be the primary component affecting salary growth.
"Our task is to ensure that allowances and bonuses do not carry such decisive weight as they do now… In the cultural sector, the situation is still outdated: people have a tiny base salary that they try to offset with allowances. It shouldn’t be this way. Our reform will be based precisely on increasing the guaranteed portion of wages," the Deputy Prime Minister added.
As previously reported, on March 19, the Lviv Regional Puppet Theater stated that the system of honorary titles has Soviet origins and, in their view, does not align with modern approaches to evaluating art. The theater also called for a broader discussion on the advisability of retaining honorary titles in Ukraine. Furthermore, they urged the Ministry of Culture to "hear the voice of the professional community" and consider abolishing the system of Soviet honorary titles at the state level.
Later, in response to an inquiry from the Interfax-Ukraine agency, the Ministry of Culture has said that it was not considering the abolition of the system for awarding the honorary titles "People’s Artist of Ukraine" and "Merited Artist of Ukraine," but would join the development of this matter if there is a demand from society.