The current Collective Labour Agreement for universities expires at the end of June. The trade unions AOb and FNV are set to meet with the Dutch Association of Universities (UNL) this week to negotiate new terms of employment.
The unions are calling for a 6-percent raise. They argue that this should be paid out ‘in pence rather than percentages’, so that staff on lower incomes will see a bigger improvement in relative terms. They also want wages to keep pace with inflation from now on; if prices rise, wages must too.
Contract extension during pregnancy
In addition, the unions want to improve the position of pregnant staff. They are demanding that postdocs on fixed-term contracts be entitled to an extension of their contract if they go on maternity or parental leave.
“This will give postdocs the time to properly complete their research and enjoy their leave,” says Donald Pechler, a board member of the Algemene Onderwijsbond. “At present, they often carry on working, whilst universities do receive payment for the leave from the UWV (Employee Insurance Agency, Eds.).” Furthermore, the unions are calling for a one-month contract extension for postdocs who are breastfeeding or pumping milk.
Right to be unreachable
Another demand is that the ‘right to be unreachable’ be included in the collective agreement, so that university staff cannot simply be called up for every trivial matter. Outside working hours, you should not have to be available, the unions argue.
They also want better overtime pay, particularly for lecturers in lower pay scales on temporary contracts. They often have a temporary contract for 0.8 full-time equivalents (FTEs), but in practice work full-time. This needs to change: “They must receive compensation for the overtime or, better still, a permanent contract for a full-time position.” The AOb and FNV hope that a new collective agreement will be in place by the end of June.
HOP, Naomi Bergshoeff
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