No compulsory redundancies at Dockinga College for the time being
For the time being there will be no forced redundancies at the Frisian Dockinga College. The AOb, the other unions and the school board agreed yesterday that there will be a plan in which the school will focus on the voluntary departure of staff members or the transfer to another school subject.
Picture: Type tank
“With the mobility plan, the panting of forced redundancies is gone for the time being. This gives peace of mind, ”says AObdistrict manager Marja de Bree, who was present at the consultation, which was also attended by the participation council of the school.
The school community in Northeast Friesland has had to cut its workforce due to the reduction in student numbers and the associated reduction in government funding. Dockinga has schools for VMBO, HAVO and VWO at a total of five locations.
De Bree says that there were 135 fewer students this school year and another hundred fewer students will attend the school next school year. “However, we are not quite in agreement yet on how big the problem is. The school management thinks the problem is bigger and assumes 35 FTEs,” says De Bree. "We think that no more than twelve full-time jobs should disappear. This could be accommodated with the current flexible shell and temporary contracts that are not extended."
With the mobility plan, the panting of forced redundancies has disappeared for the time being. This gives peace.
In November last year Ivo Omlo, director of the school group, said that the school absolutely cannot continue on this basis and that an intervention is needed to get the budget back in order. According to him, it was a deficit of more than one million euros at the time. At the end of last year, the school administrators could not rule out forced layoffs.
Voluntary
With the mobility plan agreed yesterday, forced redundancies are temporarily suspended, at least until 1 August 2019. De Bree: “The plan will include measures to encourage staff members to leave or relocate. You can think of a scheme in which older employees 'hand in' a part of their job and that young people extend their employment somewhat. This is also positive for helping the elderly to work healthily until retirement. Or a good severance scheme and, for example, training for a shortage course, so that redundant employees can transfer. I do expect that the school can manage with this and get the budget in order. ”
Member consultation
Previously, the AOb emails from concerned members who work at the school, says the district manager. “They were afraid of losing their jobs. Yesterday I noticed the participation council that they were happy with this plan. ” This afternoon the AOb a membership consultation at the Dockinga College.
