The employees themselves said during the meeting of the Seimas Culture Committee that they had never heard such language during their years of work.
“And really to all employees, and those who write messages, and those who do not want to be public (I want to say – BNS) I think we will find a solution. Thank you very much and I apologize, because I had no anger or desire to offend or belittle you in any way,” said the chancellor on Wednesday, after listening to the statements of the ministry’s employees.
“Perhaps I really should review and take seriously the statements expressed in a joking manner, because probably that relaxation, that not all of us can say, that you need to know the place and time, and probably need to get better acquainted. Thank you. I fully accept the criticism and sincerely apologize, and I will try to improve this situation,” he said.
The Minister of Culture Lukas Alsys, for his part, stated that he is determined to resolve the situation.
“I believe that we will manage to control this crisis. I do not want to belittle it or say that it is just a misunderstanding. Yes, if we are discussing in such a circle, it means systemic changes are needed in how we work,” he said.
The minister promised to review the internal work organization procedures, the distribution of positions, the responsibilities and subordination of officials.
“Yesterday I clearly told my colleagues that such language and such a leadership style will not be tolerated in the ministry,” he asserted.
L. Alsys informed the Culture Committee that on Tuesday there was a joint meeting of employees with the management, during which they sought to listen to the employees and clarify the situation.
BNS wrote that senior employees of the Ministry of Culture on Monday addressed L. Alsys, asking him to resolve the situation regarding the chancellor’s behavior.
The appeal states that since the end of July, when E. Raistenskis started working, a practice has developed that when sharing work information, documents, legal acts that the chancellor must be familiar with, there is no feedback. It also states that the chancellor’s communication is often inappropriate, and employees feel humiliated.
According to the employees, the chancellor’s orders are formulated not based on priorities set in legal acts, but according to personal opinion.
It is stated that constructive dialogue has not yet been established with the heads of the ministry’s administrative departments, business communication does not take place, employees are not allowed to express their position or arguments, during conversations the interlocutor is often interrupted, inappropriate language is used, and degrading verbal and non-verbal communication is applied.
The appeal is addressed to L. Alsys, with a copy forwarded to the Seimas Culture Committee and the Prime Minister’s advisor on cultural affairs Darius Kuolis.
“Unsmart employee”
Some ministry employees participating remotely in the committee meeting on Wednesday verbally confirmed their complaints. Department heads emphasized that they speak not only on their own behalf but also on behalf of their departments.
“(…) returning to that non-verbal and verbal language lexicon that we hear daily, I regret that I would have to voice that lexicon in this format. Well, I really have never heard such language,” said Laura Šerniūtė, head of the Ministry of Culture’s General Affairs and Service Department.
“As expressed words: ‘unsmart’ employee, ‘too old employee,’ ‘shut up, I’m talking now,’ ‘I am the boss.’ When asked about finances, how to implement assigned tasks when funds are lacking, the answer is: ‘I don’t care, go and find it.’ We regret that we have such a daily reality. We are for work, for the cultural sector, for achieving results and we really focus on results and work, and we want to work, and the team wants to work,” she said.
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According to Daiva Liekienė, head of the Centralized Internal Audit Department, there is tension in the ministry, employees find it difficult to concentrate, and work is stalling as a result.
Virginijus Varnaitis, head of the Legal and Human Resources Department, stated that employees are dissatisfied with the chancellor’s way of working.
“We, like the minister, like the entire political team and probably the chancellor, aim for the same goal – that culture, the Ministry of Culture, the cultural sector, live well, if I may put it figuratively. But when this is pursued by treating employees as unqualified, unsuitable, incompetent, this aspect is unacceptable to us. We want to receive respect, equal communication, like it was before, like it was under the former minister, like it was under even earlier ministers,” he said.
According to Deividas Velkas, head of the Public Information and Copyright Policy Group, employees are not scared by the assigned tasks or their short deadlines, but “scared by the lack of connection.”
“But some things are encouraging. The dialogue that has started is encouraging. And for that, I am grateful to the Minister of Culture. I think the minister is a person of dialogue and really a person who hears what is being said,” he added.
Poorly prepared projects
During the Seimas Culture Committee meeting, E. Raistenskis said he aims for responsible work in the ministry because “money does not reach the creators.”
“Yes, I admit, maybe the administrative tone… one can behave differently, but still my duty is to ensure that money is not returned to the budget, not redistributed, but reaches cultural and art creators,” he said.
“I come from another field, and all those people (Ministry of Culture employees – BNS) are the same to me, I did not know them before, I do not know them, and I only evaluate their work results, I want a certain responsibility,” said the chancellor.
According to him, he is especially dissatisfied with poorly prepared projects for funding.
According to E. Raistenskis, 15.8 million euros are planned this year for Ministry of Culture projects, 101 contracts were submitted for evaluation to the Central Project Management Agency (CPVA), but only 17 were signed for almost 4.5 million euros.
“This is 28 percent of the total funding amount. This means that 11.4 million euros remain undistributed (…) We are told there is no money, but money does not reach creators and art creators. A simple question, if anyone understands, let them answer,” he said.
“CPVA evaluates the Ministry of Culture according to certain indicators, to put it mildly, very low, and this is not an exception,” added the chancellor.
The Minister of Culture, for his part, said that the planned structural reform also fuels tension in the ministry. He only emphasized that the reorganization will cover not cultural content but economic areas.
E. Raistenskis started working at the Ministry of Culture on July 20, replacing L. Alsys, who became minister.
Before that, E. Raistenskis worked as chancellor of the Ministry of Health and has headed the Tax Disputes Commission.
