New offensive against 'PhD students'
PhD students from the University of Groningen have written a manifesto: they no longer want to be students, but employees. They have started a signature campaign.
Picture: Type tank
A major 'experiment' with the PhD system is underway in Groningen. There are about 850 PhD students, not employees, as elsewhere in the country, but students. They receive a scholarship instead of a salary.
According to the manifesto this has a bad influence on the research, private life and careers of the PhD students. “We are not paid for our teaching activities, we lack the legal protection that employee PhD students do have and are severely disadvantaged financially. All because of our student status. ”
Compensation
They still want to become employees, the manifesto says. In addition, they want compensation for the lost income during their period as PhD students. There are now more than 150 signatures under the manifest (43 percent of which are PhD students themselves).
Representatives of the interests of PhD students at Groningen faculties support the manifesto, as do the Promovendi Netwerk Nederland (PNN), PostdocNL, student organizations ISO and LSVb and trade unions VAWO, FNV and CNV, among others. The protest movement WOinAactie is also behind it.
Cheaper
Thanks to student status, PhD students are cheaper, so that the university can appoint more. The advantage for the PhD candidate himself would be greater freedom. “They write their own research plan, based on their scientific curiosity,” says the university. "They don't have to teach, but they are allowed to do so as part of their training."
But the authors of the manifesto see it differently: 'The promised benefits of the experiment do not outweigh the disadvantages, and are often completely absent.'
The promised benefits of the experiment do not outweigh the drawbacks, and are often completely absent
Universities were not enthusiastic about the experiment. Apart from the University of Groningen, only Erasmus University Rotterdam is participating with fifteen PhD students. Initially, Minister Van Engelshoven did not want to extend the experiment, but at the insistence of the Lower House, she eventually opened a new application round.
Appearance
That is why the PhD students are now coming up with their manifesto. They hope that the other universities will pass the second round. 'We want to prevent the experiment from continuing.'
Why have the Groningen PhD students not all signed yet? “We wanted to keep the manifesto under the radar for as long as possible,” says PNN chairman Lucille Mattijssen. "That will not work if you distribute it among 850 PhD students." She is afraid to say how many PhD students will eventually sign. “A statement of support could lead to reprimands or a disrupted relationship with a supervisor, so not everyone will. But we have broad support. ”
A statement of support could lead to reprimands
Conversation
The University of Groningen is still firmly behind the idea of PhD students. "We thanked them for the manifesto," said a spokesman. "We will certainly look at it and we would like to discuss it."
