Use of the collective labor agreement for universities: less work pressure and more permanent jobs
More permanent jobs. There put the AOb together with the other unions, participate in the negotiations on a new collective labor agreement at the universities. In addition, the union wants to improve career prospects within positions, maintain the purchasing power of university employees and relieve the high workload.
Picture: Type tank
Today, on the first day of negotiations, the unions shared their commitment with the employers' organization Universities of the Netherlands (formerly: VSNU). Spearhead of the AOb is to increase the number of positions that get permanent jobs after one year. “We have in the previous collective agreement steps have been taken in this respect, for example for the support functions and professors”, says AObsector executive Donald Pechler sitting at the negotiating table. “But we also want to arrange this for the positions of lecturers and researchers. If they function well and provide structural work, they should be given a permanent contract after 12 months. That is paramount.”
The positions of teachers and researchers must be given a permanent contract after 12 months
Better career prospects
Better career prospects is another important point in the commitment. A new layout must be introduced so that employees have more opportunities within their own position to grow, without having to immediately transfer to another position. Pechler: “In our proposal, teachers who now teach 80 percent and spend 20 percent of their time on research will have four more opportunities to grow within the teaching position. They don't have to immediately switch to the position of assistant professor, where they teach less and do more research.”
In addition to the teaching positions, the unions also want to provide more opportunities for two other careers: these are professors/university (associate) lecturers and the group of postdocs and senior researchers. Pechler hopes that this will make universities less likely to say that there is no place for a new associate professor, but that employees will be able to be promoted. It must remain possible for employees to move horizontally to different functions so that all careers remain accessible, according to the AOb-negotiator.
Work pressure reduction
Proposals to keep employees fit at work are also included in the letter to employers. “We propose that the workload and task assignment be mandatory to discuss in the annual appraisal,” says de AOb-negotiator. “How much work has been commissioned and is it realistic? It is good if this is discussed annually between employees and managers.”
De AOb suggests that it is mandatory to discuss the workload and task assignment in the annual appraisal
The unions also propose many points to reduce the workload. For example, being allowed to work half an hour less every day for employees aged 60 and over. And for all employees: 40 hours on an annual basis for sustainable employability that they can use as they see fit. The right to inaccessibility is another point. On weekends and holidays, employees are allowed to ignore their e-mail or telephone.
Purchasing power
Preserving purchasing power is also a topic that the unions are pushing for during this round of negotiations. University staff should be compensated for the increased cost of living. Pechler: "We want a wage increase that guarantees purchasing power during the term of the new collective labor agreement and we want an agreement that there is always automatic price compensation, so that purchasing power is also preserved in the coming years."
De current collective labor agreement runs until April 1, 2022 and will be tacitly extended. This collective labor agreement will remain in effect until the parties conclude a new agreement.
View the efforts of the education unions on all themes through this link† The English version here..
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