Museum demonstrate over lack of staff

EMPLOYEES of the Antiquities Department yesterday called a four-hour work stoppage, demanding better restructuring and staffing of their department.

Failure to meet these demands could place the island’s archaeological heritage in direct danger of destruction, they said.

The strike was carried out between 7.30am and 11.30pm.

The department expressed its frustration over delays in the completion of a restructuring study, especially regarding the pressing issue of staff shortages.

The department said it was “completely understaffed” which meant the Nicosia State Museum and other district museums suffered because of it.

“Some departments and maintenance antiquities laboratories have already closed,” it said.

Another problem outlined in a news release was the fact that an archaeologist had not been posted to the district of Larnaca and a technician had not been posted to the Museum of Polis Chrysochous. This fact meant that both were completely under operated.

The department said technicians continually retired and yet the vacancies were not filled, which resulted in insurmountable pressure being put on other employees and putting antiquities in direct danger of destruction. Delays in filling the empty technician posts were “inexcusable”, the department added.

Finally the department library was also not staffed with the appropriate personnel which meant the island’s “one and only archaeological library, with books of incalculable value”, was not sufficiently operated.

The employees said they would step up measures on June 9 with a 24-hour strike if the chronic problems were not dealt with.

“We consider it unfair that the Department of Antiquities, a government department that is clearly involved with the maintenance, upkeep and elevation of our antiquities, in other words with the maintenance of our collective memory, has come to this tragic situation,” the employees said.

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