'Work pressure at the university increased even further'
Measures by universities to reduce the workload have had little effect. According to the staff, it has remained the same or even increased, according to a new survey by the unions.
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After an initial measurement in 2016, FNV Education and Research, this time together with the VAWO trade union, surveyed more than 1.100 university employees. 67 percent of them still experience a high to very high workload. The scientists among them more often (76 percent) than the support staff (50 percent).
Of all respondents, 71 percent think the amount of work has increased in the past two years; 65 percent have considered changing jobs due to work pressure.
Little effect
The plans that the universities have made to relieve the pressure are still having little effect, according to the respondents. Where measures have already been taken, 62 percent believe that the workload has remained the same and 29 percent even say that it has increased further. According to spokesperson Marijtje Jongsma of the VAWO, this is because the universities “simply have too few employees to perform all the work properly”.
FNV and VAWO, together with action group WOinA Actie, are demanding 1,15 billion euros in additional investments from Minister Van Engelshoven. They also want the so-called efficiency discount to be dropped and more money to go to direct funding for research. The university employees are campaigning this week and take part in the national education strike on Friday.
