Unions increase pressure on negotiations

Unions increase pressure on negotiations

Universities are still not doing enough against the high workload, unions argue. And things are not progressing with permanent contracts either. On Tuesday 25 April, they will protest at VU University Amsterdam, together with several action groups.

The unions are in the middle of negotiations for a new collective labour agreement in academic education and these are not yet going according to plan, the unions say. The next meeting with the employers is on 8 May.

Wage increase
Because of high inflation, the unions want a substantial pay rise. They are also critical of work pressure and the lack of permanent contracts. Around eighty per cent of teachers and researchers, for example, say they do not have enough time to perform their duties, according to FNV research. More than half of support staff also lack time.

The survey comes out now for a reason. Universities must abide by the collective agreement, says FNV executive Jan Boersma. “But the workload is still sky-high and little has been done about it so far. That is why we now want tougher agreements.”

It is questionable whether the new collective agreement will come about soon, especially as the ‘wage space’ is not yet known. The cabinet will announce in the Spring Memorandum (no later than 1 June) how much additional funding educational institutions will receive for the increased prices. (HOP, BB)