In a sector that abounds with contracts and sessional work, few work in the arts with a sense of true belonging. In the face of retrenchment that sense of isolation can be intensified.
Many workers feel shattered by the lack of warning or the off-hand manner with which they lose their jobs. At the National Gallery of Victoria, staff members retrenched recently were notified by emails or letters left on desks. Those on leave had to be informed by friends or by the union.
