Threats of dismissal due to shrinkage at Fries Dockinga College
The Dockinga College with five school locations in Friesland has to cut its workforce due to the falling student numbers. “We absolutely cannot continue on this foot,” says Ivo Omlo, director of the school group.
Picture: Type tank
The school community for VMBO, HAVO and VWO currently has about 1700 students and the workforce consists of more than 170 full-time jobs. An intervention in this is necessary to get the budget back in order. Omlo does not want to give precise amounts, but says it concerns a deficit of 'well over a million euros'.
Omlo: “This school year we had about 140 fewer students than the year before. We also expect a further decline in the number of pupils in the coming years.” According to the director, the prognosis is that there will be between 2021 and 2022 students at the school in 1500-1600.
Forced firings
Dockinga College has already responded to the decline in the past. The workforce has already been reduced. “However, it now appears that it is not enough yet,” says Omlo. "As a good employer, we want to try to prevent forced redundancies, but I cannot rule out that they will happen anyway." The director does not want to say how many employees are at risk of losing their jobs.
As a good employer, we want to try to prevent compulsory redundancies, but I cannot rule out the possibility that they will happen anyway
The board is working on a plan to organize education differently and to make the school future-proof. “For example, there may be possibilities with the new law on teaching time,” says Omlo. "We are now putting everything together and together we are looking at where and how we should intervene."
Surprise
AObDistrict manager Marja de Bree talks to the board on November 26. “We understand that there is a major shortage,” says De Bree, who has good contact with the school's participation council. “The shortage is a big surprise to Mr. First of all, we are curious about an analysis of the figures. Then we look further. We will always first opt for a mobility policy in which employees move to another job or that we can solve it through natural wastage. We must prevent forced redundancies as much as possible and a structural solution must be found for shrinkage.”
