Action groups issue ultimatum to universities

Universities must develop a concrete plan by December 20 to deal with temporary contracts and the high workload in higher education. If they don’t, there will be a nationwide protest on Valentine’s Day.

At the opening of the academic year announcement activist groups Casual Academy and 0.7 have already indicated that something will happen if universities do not fulfill their wishes before Christmas. FNV Education and the General Education Association supported this intention and WOinActie has now also supported the ultimatum. group.

Temporary contracts

There are three requirements on the table. Activists want fewer temporary contracts. They demand that the flex shell at universities be reduced to less than 20 percent and that all academic staff be given both teaching and research time.

They also want to put an end to “structural overload” by removing a third of the tasks. Third, they demand a “safe working environment” in which there is no room for unwanted behavior.

Much will depend on whether universities receive an additional 1.1 billion euros per year from the next government. of research as Minister Van Engelshoven had done, it turned out that universities lack this amount in their budgets, with all the consequences that this entails for the workload and the legal situation of scientists.

Isn’t the ultimatum of December 20 a little short, early Ad Valvas to Leiden professor Remco Breuker from WOinActie. According to him, the problem has been known for years. “And we’re not asking for the impossible: if you get me started, me and a few others, we’ll fix it tomorrow.”

Valentine’s day

If there is no concrete plan that meets the demands of the action groups, a national campaign will follow on Valentine’s Day (February 14), with the motto: University love is not reciprocal. .

Since 2017, Academy Kiss has been awarded on Valentine’s Day by the VAWO Science Union, which merged with the General Education Union last year. The award is given to someone who has “dedicated himself to academia in a special and courageous way”.

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