The Fairness Process
During the highly disruptive years of 2020-2022, I worked as one of three policy advisors for Secretary of State for Arts and Cultures of Austria Andrea Mayer. The covid crisis deepened pre-existing divides in the arts and culture sector in Austria. A lack of social security, save work environments, transparency, cooperation, diversity, and fair pay came to surface. In the spirit of sustainable crises management, my team and I crafted an innovative, multi-faceted process including artists and cultural institutions as well as political and governmental bodies. In September 2020 Andrea Mayer launched the multidisciplinary, experimental, and exemplary cooperation between the federal and Laender level, connecting a broad range of backgrounds, believes and opinions. Download the brochure on the interim report after one year of Fairness Process here.
The Goal
Fairness in arts and cultures can only be archived together. The research phase of the process brough two facts to light: the lack of a working platform to push individual fairness projects and a catalogue of concrete fairness objectives. While general pleas for “fair pay” and “fair play” had been on public record long before the covid-crises, an in-depth understanding of the concrete goals and ways to get to them were missing. Additionally, the diverse stakeholders contributing to Austria’s rich and excellent art scene did not participate in a wide culture of cooperation. Rather, everyone cooked their own soup, collaborating on a need-to-know basis. As the stakeholder on the federal governmental level, we identified the opportunity to use the general crisis that affected everyone to build an innovative, agile, and effective working platform that included all the stakeholders of Austria’s arts and cultures (Goal no. 1). However, there is little use in talking about problems if you do not let actions follow up the words. Thus, our second goal was to get as many fairness projects done as we could during the first year. Our priorities on the federal level were “fair pay” and “fair play”.
The Structure
Historically, arts and cultures are publicly funded by the Laender and the federal ministry of arts and cultures. Municipalities, private sponsors, and ticket sales complete the portfolio of financial contributors. On the production side the field is divided into the big national flagships of cultural institutions, small non-profit associations, freelance artists and cultural workers and companies employing up to 30, 40 people. Under the impression of crisis management all over the sector, we needed to create a process that used as little resources as possible from the diverse stakeholders. In a first step, we invited spokes persons of the Laender and municipal administrations to an informal online meeting (“Fairness Working Group”). In the spirit of transparency and participation we invited a diverse set of stakeholders (spokes persons of artist guilds etc) to a second online meeting (“Forum Fairness”). Both meetings became regular platforms where we asked ourselves: What does “fair” mean in terms of payment, work environment and accessibility? What measures can be taken to achieve more fairness in arts and cultures? Quickly, we saw that the problems within the arts and cultures connected us. Due to the agile process approach we invited all the stakeholders to work on individual fairness projects and share their learnings with the group. On September 30th, 2021, we invited the working group and the forum as well as national and international experts to the beautiful historic Schubert Hall of the Wiener Konzerthaus to celebrate the first year of the Fairness Process, network, inspire and further a sense of fairness within Austria’s rich and excellent arts and cultures sector.
The Outcome
Can fairness be archived? No. Like all values, “fairness” can call for certain actions, act as an inspiring utopia and ensure certain guidelines for our way forward. Yet, within two years the fairness process succeeded in several prime objectives on a federal level:
“Fairness Website”: a sub-page on the website of the Federal Ministry of Arts and Culture, Civil Service and Sport, that collects fairness projects by national and international administrations, institutions, and associations as “good practice”.
Inclusion of “fair pay” and “diversity” as eligibility criteria in all new calls for proposals by the Federal Ministry of Arts and Cultures.
Revision of the rules of procedure for advisory boards and panels of jurors to help diversity development.
EUR 2 million additional funding for “fair pay” of salaries and fees.
“Fair Pay Survey”: a survey designed with contribution of the Laender and the stakeholders to identify the fair pay gap.
“Fair Pay Focus Group”: a platform of representatives of the federal government, the Laender, and stakeholders with the objective of a “Fair Pay Strategy for Arts and Culture in Austria”.
Joint criteria for the award of multi-annual contracts funded by the federal government and the Laender.
“VERA”: independent ombuds committee for persons working in arts and culture who are affected by abuse of power.
“Austrian Fairness Codex”: a standard of fair cooperation within the arts and culture in Austria, drafted by the “Fairness Code Focus Group”, a structured, cooperative process by the federal government, the Laender, institutions, and stakeholders.
“Legal committee”: a focus group concerned with creating better legal protection of artists and working conditions (f.ex. “Theatre Labour Act”, “Copyright Amendment 2021”.
I am very proud for having been able to facilitate this ground-breaking process. Equally, I am thankful for everyone that took a leap of faith and participated in a cooperative fashion. Without the participation and motivation of everyone involved, none of the successful projects and collective learnings would have been possible.
For more detailed information please consult the Fairness Brochure.