Irish Arts Council to set pay rates

Ireland's Arts Council will institute minimum pay rates for artists on funded projects.

The agency has developed a three-year plan to develop sector-led pay rates and scales for artistic work. It will make them part of the assessment criteria for all funding applications by the end of 2022.

Its strategy mirrors that of the Arts Council of Wales, which announced last year it would no longer fund organisations that don't commit to paying minimum rates "at the very least".

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• Arts Councils won't enforce minimum pay
• Exploitation rife as unpaid work subsidises the arts

A policy document released yesterday says the nature of arts practice leaves artists "particularly vulnerable" to exploitation: "We want artists to be confident, to know their worth, and to feel more empowered in negotiation and contracting stages of professional engagements. We intend this
policy to play a part in encouraging artists to expect fair and equitable treatment. 

"The distinct nature of individual artforms and their associated sectoral or industry practices means there are significant differences in how pay and contractual issues manifest themselves across different artforms and arts sectors. However, we assert that certain best practice principles can be applied to
most engagements."