Forty-nine employees at the Vatican Museums have started an unprecedented legal dispute over job conditions and workplace safety, which could lead to the Holy See being taken to court.
The staff, mostly custodians who have worked at the museums for years, claim they are treated as “commodities” by Pope Francis’s administration, according to a report in Corriere della Sera.
The Vatican Museums, a sprawling structure of 54 galleries containing a priceless collection, including Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel, is among the most visited museums in the world. It employs more than 700 people.
The 49 staff have sent a petition to the Vatican’s governorate alleging that the city state’s labour rules “undermine each worker’s dignity and health”, including overtime hours paid at lower rates and insufficient health and safety provisions.
Other allegations include being forced to return salaries paid during Covid lockdowns because of a lack of provision for furlough schemes in Vatican labour law, according to Laura Sgrò, the lawyer representing the workers.
“They have tried so many times through individual petitions to resolve this situation,” she said. “So this move is quite extreme. After many years of discussion, this is the first class action. We have 49 people now but I think this number will increase over the next few days.”
Sgrò said staff had allegedly faced disciplinary action if off sick and found not to be at home during visits from a Vatican doctor, which are required to take place within 24 hours of the sick leave commencing.
“This is crazy,” she said. “They risk disciplinary action even if they go out for an hour to see their own doctor.”
The Vatican Museums attracted almost 7 million visitors in 2023, and custodians and tour guides have long raised concerns about overcrowding and safety conditions. The building contains a number of emergency exits but there are only two along the mile-long Sistine Chapel passageway – one at either end.
The museums are a major earner for the Vatican, bringing in millions of euros each year. The Vatican’s spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment.
Unions are not permitted in Vatican City. The petition is the first formal step in an obligatory conciliation process overseen by Ulsa, the Vatican’s labour office.
Sgrò said: “This is not a courteous letter but the formal opening of a procedure … If the conciliation goes badly then we go to court.”
