Cristian Mandeal, interim director of “George Enescu” Philharmonic, who is contested by the employees, declared that he is interim manager as established by the minister of culture until a new director is appointed, but he can leave the Philharmonic as soon as his pensioning is approved.
Around 150 employees of George Enescu philharmonic picketed on Wednesday the offices of the Ministry of Culture, Religious Denominations and National Patrimony (MCCPN) because of the expiry of their contracts and that over 50 artists are going to be pensioned off on January 1, 2010, criticizing the fact that Cristian Mandeal, who resigned at the end of September further to the outburst of the conflict with the members of the orchestra, is maintained in office. Cristian Mandeal said that many of those who will be pensioned (around 30 persons) had submitted their pensioning files in summer or even in spring, before the conflict, for fear of the Unique Salary Law, in order to obtain a better pension. Referring to those whose contracts on an undetermined period expire on December 31, Mandeal said that such contracts would be extended subsequently, subject to the Philharmonic’s needs “in a year of austerity.” Cristian Mandeal stressed that the director of an institution decides about the extension of the contracts of the employees and the transformation of the contracts on determined period into contracts on undetermined period. He stressed that some of the Philharmonic employees who have contracts on determined period have even two jobs, their employment records being with another institution, while in other cases it is opted for the extension of the contract every year – for some of them even for 20 years – because they are professionally unsatisfactory and thus they are “stimulated to improve themselves more carefully.” However, Mandeal assured that the activity of the Philharmonic can continue in conditions of normality, but it is difficult as long as there are “strikes, pickets” and “endless protests.” He also said that he discussed with the minister of culture to remain interim director until the appointment of a new director, but he is not obliged to do so, having the possibility to leave the institution when his pensioning file is completed. “I resigned first, I did not wait to be fired,” Mandeal recalled.
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