Higher education relay strike has started

Nearly three thousand lecturers, staff and students demonstrated in Leiden on 10 March against the cutbacks in higher education. On 11 March, it is Utrecht’s turn to continue this so-called relay strike.

The activists are hoping that the education budget that the House of Representatives agreed to after long negotiations will be rejected by the Senate. Rob Jetten (D66) and Frans Timmermans (GroenLinks-PvdA), who were present in Leiden, also called on the senators to do so.

Withholding wages

In Utrecht, strikers do not feel supported by the HU University of Applied Sciences, as it turns out. Although the board says it shares the concerns about the cutbacks, HU employees who stop working have to take a day off or appeal to their union’s strike fund.

As far as is known, the HU is the only institution that wants to withhold salary from strikers. In the meantime, the Utrecht University of Applied Sciences has announced that no wages will be withheld from employees who strike for less than two hours.

HOP, Hein Cuppen