Several senior employees are leaving the Slovak National Gallery (SNG), including the directors of SNG’s outsourced workplaces from the Ľudovít Full Gallery, Zvolen Castle and Schaubmar’s Mill. They announced the filing of the resignation on Friday in their opinion, in which as the reason they cite pressure from the current head of the SNG, Jaroslav Niňaj, and the current state of the institution under his leadership.
“Since January, SNG also has a new organizational structure, many employees were transferred to completely new positions without a new employment contract or guidelines. Employees do not know who to turn to as their superior and are forced to break the law in the workplace,” they said. They reminded that the Ministry of Culture of the Slovak Republic and the Ministry of Finance of the Slovak Republic recommended that the organizational changes be postponed, especially as a result of the transition to a new central economic system. “Niňaj ignored this guideline as well,” they pointed out.
They reminded that in November of last year, the employees of SNG announced a mass appeal for the protection of the institution, in which they expressed specific demands addressed to the minister of culture to Martina Šimkovičová (SNS nominee). They warned the ministry that they will file a collective resignation at the beginning of the year if they do not stop the incompetent interventions in the functioning of SNG.
On Friday, the directors of the collection and fund administration departments submitted their resignations (Maria Bohumelová), financial operations and infrastructure (Gabriela Hamalová), expositions and exhibition production (Ľubica Orechovská), head of the digital services department (Michal A weirdo), senior curator of SNG (Dušan Buran(Zuzana Gažíková), Schaubmar’s mill in Pezinok (Veronika German) and the director and deputy director of Zvolen Castle (Erika Trnková and Ľubica Lišková).
“When cooperation is not possible, one side has to leave. Since Mr. Niňaj is not going to leave, we submitted the notice today,” said Gabriela Hamalovádirector of financial operations and infrastructure.
Departing SNG employees point out the risks that the gallery and its exhibitions may face in connection with the weakening of professional capacities, they also note that the international reputation is declining SNG, while pointing to the reaction of some foreign exhibition partners. They criticize the institution’s authoritarian management style and lack of interest in dialogue.
The tension between the management of SNG and the employees of the gallery is culminating since the dismissal of the previous director Alexandra Kusej in August last year and the appointment of her successors, Anton Bittner and from the end of November, Jaroslav Niňaj. They blame the Ministry of Culture for the fact that it was a powerful intervention that did not respect expertise.
