AOb focuses on measures to relieve workload in MBO

Tekst Karen Hagen - Redactie Onderwijsblad - 6 november 2017 - 3 Minuten om te lezen

Image: Paul Posse / TechniekBeeldbank.nu

The deployment of the AOb and the other unions was handed over to employers last Wednesday. After meetings across the country, the AObsector council approved the commitment to the new round of collective bargaining negotiations.

The negotiators have divided the effort into short-term, 2018, and long-term goals. “If we want to maintain the high quality of MBO, we now need to invest in measures against workload,” says AObdirector Van Gelder. "There must be space and time for innovation, development and appreciation of the staff."

Work pressure relief and salary are important themes. The wages of MBO staff really need to increase, according to Van Gelder. “Especially when we are faced with teacher shortages in the long term. Salaries are lagging behind in comparison to other HBO positions. Our wage requirement for 2018 is 3,5 percent. ”

Crucial duties

Agreements must be made for work pressure relief. The long-term goal is a 20 percent reduction in lessons, according to the collective labor agreement of the AOb. “Now all other crucial tasks for education are being severely squeezed,” says Van Gelder. “This involves, for example, examinations, devising new lessons, internship guidance and career guidance. But also maintaining contacts with the business world is now under pressure, while that is very important for vocational education ”

AObdirector Tamar van Gelder: "If we want to maintain the high quality of MBO, we must now invest in measures against work pressure."

In these CLA negotiations, the AOb ensure that there is an agreement in the collective labor agreement that the number of hours of lessons is gradually reduced. Van Gelder: “In order to achieve this, additional financing must be provided and it then takes time to implement it. But with this new collective labor agreement we do have to take a first step towards lowering the maximum teaching hours. ”

Starters

The negotiators also pay attention to starting teachers in the collective labor agreement. “They must be retained for the sector,” says Van Gelder. The beginning teachers should therefore give fewer lessons in the first two years of their career, so that they are less burdened. “This group has it extra difficult and often drops out because of the enormous work pressure. The released hours should therefore not be filled in with other tasks ”, says Van Gelder. In addition, the association wants all starters to get a coach to whom they can turn with questions.

The negotiators also want the transfer of teachers and other employees in MBO to higher salary scales, the job mix, to be realized at every MBO institution. “Now these ambitions are still lagging behind,” says Van Gelder. "That really has to change if we want to maintain good career prospects."

The new collective labor agreement negotiations started on 1 November.

What are the requirements of the AOb for a new CLA in MBO? A few points in a row:

• All MBO teachers, educational support staff and staff members must receive an individual training budget.
• The school administrators must be fully financially responsible for the premium for sick employees: the WGA premium (resumption of work partially disabled). The premium is increasing because there is still a lot of room for improvement when it comes to prevention, reintegration and guidance. School boards should not pass this on to employees.
• Increase in the allowance for MBO staff members who are first aiders at their school.
• There is much uncertainty about the personal budget of 50 hours per school year. The AOb wants this to be better described in the collective labor agreement. It must be clear that an employee can decide for himself which work he wants to perform and when and where he wants to do it.
• Read the complete AObbet with all the details through this PDF document.