Driver gone, Avicenna staff called in sick
It is chaos at the Avicenna College in Rotterdam. More than fifty employees called in sick at the start of the school year in protest. The wave of sick reports follows the forced departure of rector and director Wim Littooij.
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Littooy has previously come into conflict with both the supervisory board and the participation council of Avicenna College. According to a report published last week by research firm Bing, Littooij's departure is necessary to normalize the proportions. Interventions are also necessary at the supervisory board and in the participation. The school says that no students came today or yesterday, but that they plan to start tomorrow. The more than fifty employees who reported sick make up about half of the workforce.
The management of Avicenna, the only school for Islamic secondary education in the city, is currently in the hands of interim director Bart Jan Geers and interim chairman of the supervisory board Gökhan Çoban, who is also temporarily acting as director. They have called the protesting teachers for an individual meeting: those who do not come can expect immediate dismissal.
To avoid dismissal: start the conversation
De AOb advises to have that conversation, says district manager Jan Menger, “to avoid being fired. We also want to talk to the director about the situation. Our members do not only want something to happen with Littooij's position. The composition of the supervisory board and the employee participation bodies must also be different in order to actually make a new start. ” The AOb is considering holding a members' meeting at the school later this week to discuss the situation with the constituency.
Intense conflicts
Employee participation at Avicenna College has been the scene of fierce conflict over the past three years. 72-year-old Littooij, an experienced administrator from Christian education, tried three times to have the unwelcome participation council dissolved by dispute procedure, but was told time and again that he must continue to consult in the event of a disagreement. The mr members initiated various procedures to enforce compliance with the law, with varying results.
The appointment of one of the team leaders as director as the intended successor of Littooij was reversed shortly before the summer via the disputes committee. Research bureau Bing was called in at the end of May by the supervisory board, which at that time was faced with the question of whether the contact with Littooij should be extended. The investigation report, published at the end of August, makes no bones about it: director Littooij acted impure and cross-border, among other things by incorrectly informing staff and thus stirring up division.
All those involved measured the other, without looking critically at themselves
As a result, not only mr members but also members of the supervisory board are hindered from performing their duties; for example, the mr was hindered in communicating with the constituency and the supervisory board received insufficient information about the declining quality of education. The conflicts that have arisen have led to confusion of roles, which, according to Bing, can also be blamed on the employee representatives and supervisors. Everyone involved measured the other without looking critically at themselves.
Not reachable
Çoban and Geers were not available on Tuesday to answer questions about their plans with Avicenna and Littooij also did not respond to attempts to contact. A new chairman was elected to the participation council because the previous one, who came from the parents, no longer has a child at the school.
Also read: 'Avicenna in error with director appointment'.
