The unions have finally received a response to their ultimatum to Education Minister Eppo Bruins. He is willing to meet with them. A word of warning, though: fewer budget cuts are not on the table.
The unions’ ultimatum expired last Saturday. They demanded that all cuts to higher education and research be scrapped, otherwise strikes might be imminent. On Thursday, the unions said they no longer expected a response from the Minister, as they had been waiting for months without hearing anything.
But on Friday, the Minister broke his silence. In a letter to the unions, he reiterated that he must adhere to the governing coalition’s financial framework. ‘I therefore cannot comply with your demand to reverse the cuts to higher education.’
Workload
The Minister intends to implement the cuts ‘as wisely as possible’ and is open to discussions with the unions. These talks should include the issue of workload, which the unions have expressed significant concern about.
Bruins has allocated EUR 78 million from the remaining university budget to ease the workload pressure. To do this, he is freeing up money by cutting the Research and Science Fund.
Now that the unions’ demands – led by CNV, FNV, and AOb – have not been met, they are considering possible follow-up action. Last week they explained that the ultimatum partly served a legal purpose: should it expire, they have the option of calling a ‘political strike’.
HOP, Olmo Linthorst
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