Peter Doroshenko, the director of the Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art was forced to apologise to staff last month after allegations of victimisation and ineffective management at the centre.
A letter sent to the director from the trade union Unison in May described staff members as feeling 'isolated, marginalised, overruled, ignored, sidelined' and 'frozen out'. The Unison letter claimed that such behaviour had led to an unhealthy working climate as well as the loss of experienced staff and poor industrial relations.
As a result of the complaints, Ian Wrigglesworth, the chairman of trustees, commissioned the Centre for Public Communication Research (CPCR), a management consultancy, to interview staff and make recommendations to the board meeting in July.
It is understood that the CPCR report contained serious criticisms of the leadership at Baltic. A statement to the board from the union said: 'Unison is not prepared to tolerate bullying at any level of the workplace,' and added that it was the 'last opportunity' to address issues 'including the leadership of the organisation'.
After the board meeting a statement from Baltic said the trustees were 'deeply saddened at the strength and depth of feeling amongst staff and the decline in morale over a significant period of time'. The statement added that the trustees recognised the seriousness of the situation and had agreed a number of changes in response to the concerns raised. There will be a special board meeting in September to check on progress.
Sheila Wilson, a regional officer for Unison, said she was pleased that the chairman and directors had realised it was not just one or two disgruntled ex-employees raising concerns. 'It's going to take time for staff to feel confident to raise matters, but we are pleased that the board has taken our concerns seriously.'
Asked if she thought it was possible to continue under the present leadership, Wilson said: 'There is still suspicion amongst staff and the situation will be monitored closely -- it's a question of building trust and confidence.'
The chairman and director of Baltic were unavailable for comment. The Arts Council North East, which this year gave Baltic £1.8m of funding, said in a statement that it was confident the board was taking the issues seriously.
The centre celebrated its fifth anniversary last month with the opening of a Beryl Cook exhibition.
A letter sent to the director from the trade union Unison in May described staff members as feeling 'isolated, marginalised, overruled, ignored, sidelined' and 'frozen out'. The Unison letter claimed that such behaviour had led to an unhealthy working climate as well as the loss of experienced staff and poor industrial relations.
As a result of the complaints, Ian Wrigglesworth, the chairman of trustees, commissioned the Centre for Public Communication Research (CPCR), a management consultancy, to interview staff and make recommendations to the board meeting in July.
It is understood that the CPCR report contained serious criticisms of the leadership at Baltic. A statement to the board from the union said: 'Unison is not prepared to tolerate bullying at any level of the workplace,' and added that it was the 'last opportunity' to address issues 'including the leadership of the organisation'.
After the board meeting a statement from Baltic said the trustees were 'deeply saddened at the strength and depth of feeling amongst staff and the decline in morale over a significant period of time'. The statement added that the trustees recognised the seriousness of the situation and had agreed a number of changes in response to the concerns raised. There will be a special board meeting in September to check on progress.
Sheila Wilson, a regional officer for Unison, said she was pleased that the chairman and directors had realised it was not just one or two disgruntled ex-employees raising concerns. 'It's going to take time for staff to feel confident to raise matters, but we are pleased that the board has taken our concerns seriously.'
Asked if she thought it was possible to continue under the present leadership, Wilson said: 'There is still suspicion amongst staff and the situation will be monitored closely -- it's a question of building trust and confidence.'
The chairman and director of Baltic were unavailable for comment. The Arts Council North East, which this year gave Baltic £1.8m of funding, said in a statement that it was confident the board was taking the issues seriously.
The centre celebrated its fifth anniversary last month with the opening of a Beryl Cook exhibition.
