MEAA – Equity union members vote to oppose easier access for overseas artists. Photo: http://livetheatre.org.au/
Unions are commonly associated more with brawn than brains: the power of wharfies and building workers rather than the skills of curators or community arts workers.
Most employees in the art sector work under directly negotiated individual contracts; fewer are employed on the terms set out in collective agreements which underlie more permanent positions in larger art institutions. A large number of art workers are also employed as teachers in tertiary institutions, operating within fragile temporary contractual positions.
