Theatre concept available: Proposal secures five theatre sections and the status of the Robert Schumann Philharmonic as an A orchestra

The concept envisages maintaining the municipal theatres as a five-division theatre with a reasonable increase in subsidies from the city and at the same time securing the Robert Schumann Philharmonic Orchestra's status as an A-list orchestra. The existing venues are also secured.

The prerequisite for this is that the in-house collective agreements that expire at the end of the year are continued in a modified form and that a proposed job model is implemented that provides for reductions in various areas. This could avoid redundancies for operational reasons. The conditions to be negotiated vary from division to division. The job reductions are to be achieved by means of retirement and part-time models. It is also planned to agree wage increases of 1 per cent per year in all areas over the term of the agreement.

"This is a good concept for maintaining artistic quality and at the same time securing the economic future of the theatre," says Lord Mayor Barbara Ludwig. "However, this presupposes that everyone involved is prepared to do what is necessary to achieve this compromise."

"I hope that we will succeed in creating planning security by implementing this proposal," says General Director Dr Christoph Dittrich. "This path demands a lot from everyone involved. In view of the alternatives, however, this is the option that can preserve what makes the municipal theatres what they are: artistic standards and outstanding productions."

The concept in detail

In the orchestra, which accounts for the majority of personnel costs, a reduction in the number of members from 99 to 86 is proposed. A part-time model is agreed in the company's collective labour agreement, in which the 99 musicians initially share the 86 positions. The collective agreement classification as an A orchestra will be retained. In addition, one to three concert or semi-staged performances will replace fully staged performances.

In the non-artistic area, it is planned to reduce the weekly working hours by 10 per cent to 36 hours. Ten positions will be given a temporary status (not to be refilled), and a target position plan is also planned here. Implementation is to be achieved through natural fluctuation.

In the artistic area, the allowance under the company collective agreement, which can be compared with a 13th month's salary, will be reduced according to a social scale. Employees with a minimum salary (1650 euros) are not affected by this, while the allowance is cancelled completely for higher salaries. A total of seven positions will be cancelled. Here, too, the realisation is to take place through natural fluctuation. The size of the choir is to be reduced from 44 to 40 singers.

In addition, the budget is to be relieved by improving income. A "quality surcharge" will be levied for particularly high-quality performances, for example for premieres in musical theatre or productions that are particularly well received beyond the region. Tickets for young people, students etc. are exempt from price increases.

In addition, the General Director is instructed to hold talks on collaborations with other theatres, which will show results from 2016.

Overall, 90 per cent of Chemnitz Municipal Theatres' funding comes from public subsidies. Two thirds of this is financed from the municipal budget. One third comes from the cultural area funding of the Free State, which the City of Chemnitz - which decides on the distribution within the city - pays out to the theatre to an overwhelming extent. Due to declining cultural area funding in recent years, all cost increases in the cultural sector and especially at the theatre have been borne by the city. The city's annual subsidy to the theatre currently amounts to around 25.3 million euros.

In order to implement the concept, the city's subsidy would have to increase by between 800,000 and one million euros annually over the term of the programme to 26.15 million (2014), 26.26 million (2015), 26.31 million (2016), 26.31 million (2017), 26.23 million (2018).

The current in-house collective wage agreements end on 31 December 2013. With the expiry of the in-house collective wage agreements, personnel costs alone would increase by EUR 2.1 million to EUR 25.2 million. It was already apparent in the 2013 business plan that the previous subsidies, including the liquidity reserve, would not be sufficient to ensure the theatre's operations and solvency throughout 2014.

The previous general director of the municipal theatres, Dr Bernhard Helmich, had therefore already been commissioned to draw up a concept in connection with the Ekko decisions. Following Dr Helmich's announcement that he would be moving to Bonn, this task fell to Dr Christoph Dittrich, who has been in office as Managing Director since last April and as General Director since the beginning of this season.

If the in-house wage agreements cannot be concluded as outlined in the concept, this would result in a drastic and short-term downsizing of the municipal theatres, as it would not be possible to finance the necessary increases in subsidies. In addition to the necessity of compulsory redundancies after social selection to avoid insolvency, this would also have drastic consequences for the theatre's ability to perform and its artistic quality.

The city council is to decide on the proposed path on 18 September. It was already presented to the parliamentary groups yesterday evening, Tuesday. If the City Council votes in favour in September, the General Director will be instructed to hold talks immediately with the aim of concluding new in-house wage agreements.