The Ministry of Culture remained silent when asked by the ABC about allegations of misconduct by opposition groups in the previous call. Optional group for museum curatorsbut he will soon have to explain himself to Congress. he … The PP this Thursday registered an initiative in the House of Commons for the government to answer in writing as to the reasons for the “extraordinary vacancy rate” in this year’s public employment offers (OEPs). Specifically, 31 of the 71 available positions remain vacant, corresponding to 43.7% of the total.
“Does the government think it is unusual that 31 seats were left vacant during this selection process?” asks PP. What kind of review and compensation measures will the Ministry of Culture take? As this newspaper reported today, about 20 opponents sent a formal complaint to the Ministry of Culture a week ago, citing “irregularities” and “lack of transparency” in the selection process for the 2023-2024 period, which ended in October. For the second consecutive year, the number of vacancies is around 40%, significantly higher than the 5-8% registered in previous recruitments.
In their brief, the petitioners accused the court of being constituted without a presiding judge or clerk, lack of transparency, and violation of the principles of equality, merit, and competency. At least a dozen of them have filed appeals beyond the initial letter. In its parliamentary initiative, the PP asks the Government what review and compensation measures it plans to adopt in response to these allegations, understanding that the provisions of Law No. 40 of 2015 and Royal Decree No. 364 of 1995 may have been violated.
Opponents also speak out
Recalling that this year’s EPO has set aside around 20 slots for museum curators, the main opposition parties are asking the Ministry of Culture to explain whether it considers it to be unusual for 31 slots to become vacant during this selection process. The same thing has already happened with the recruitment for 2020, 2021 and 2022, where only 45 of the total 74 positions were filled, resulting in a vacancy rate of 39.2%. In the last three rounds of recruitment (2016-2019), the number of vacancies ranged from 5-8%.
Given that the Ministry of Culture is chronically understaffed, the public is now asking the Secretary of State for the Civil Service whether he is considering incorporating all the vacancies from the last two calls into the 2025 OEP. Finally, the PP would like to know whether this situation will affect personnel planning, the provision of public services in state museums, and compliance with replacement rates, “given the high average age of some of the Ministry of Culture’s staff.”
As the ABC has learned, the Directorate General for Cultural Heritage and Fine Arts has avoided responding to the opposition’s claims for three weeks, but things started to move this Thursday, the same day the information was published in this newspaper. At midday, conservative candidates began receiving details of their test scores, but the emails “indicate that they do not have the transcripts of the court readings,” a source close to the process said.
If the requested minutes are not available
Some candidates received brief comments about the exam (not including correction criteria), but others received no further information and only had a numerical grade for each part. Although these emails contain the names of eligible court members, they also contain errors. In most cases, only four names appear when there should be five by law, and they do not match the titles established on the call.
It can be said that Culture has written confirmation of the wrongdoings reported by these opponents. The only thing the department has not sent so far is the requested minutes.
Pressure is mounting on Minister Ernesto Urtasun, who is already facing demands for explanations through administrative and political channels. Meanwhile, the public relations department chose to remain silent, as it always does when faced with information that goes beyond its agenda.
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