Franck Riester, Minister of Culture, signed with all the trade union organizations of the Ministry of Culture (CGT-Culture, CFDT-Culture, SUD-Culture Solidaires, UNSA-CFTC, FSU), the first Memorandum of Understanding on equal opportunities for women and men in the Ministry of Culture.
This protocol marks the culmination of close consultation with representatives of the Ministry’s staff. It reflects the proactive policy pursued by the ministry, the first state administration to have obtained in autumn 2017 the two labels «Diversity» and «Equality» attributed by AFNOR, against all forms of discrimination and occupational inequalities.
Speaking at the signing, Franck Riester said:
"I am proud that the Ministry of Culture goes beyond regulatory obligations by proposing real progress to promote professional equality between the women and men who make up the Ministry. We know that equality of rights, theoretically guaranteed by the texts, is still far from being translated into the reality of professional backgrounds and the professional environment: I want the example of the Ministry, for its staff and, more generally, in all cultural policies. This protocol also reflects the quality of the social dialogue that has been established on this project, which responds to such a legitimate aspiration for justice and equality".
The Memorandum of Understanding reaffirms the commitments of the Ministry of Culture and includes significant progress in the training of staff, access of women to positions of responsibility, with the objective in particular that 50% of public institutions under the supervision of the Ministry be run by women by 2022, prevention of harassment and gender and sexual violence, better reconciliation of personal and professional time, Reducing the gender pay gap to the detriment of women (€500,000 will be dedicated to closing the gap by 2022).
The Protocol of 22 November 2018 applies to all the structures of the Ministry of Culture, to its central administration and decentralized services but also to its public institutions and services with national competence.