FNV calls for termination of contract with DGI Travel if no improvement

DGI Travel is too expensive, too slow and too difficult, concludes trade union FNV after a survey among staff at Erasmus University. The union advises the university to terminate the contract with the criticised travel agency if necessary.

From the start of what used to be called Diversity Travel in January 2025, staff have complained about the travel agency they are required to use to book business travel. They even compiled black books and the University Council questioned the Executive Board several times about the complaints. Staff regularly cannot book trips without help from customer service. Moreover, bookings through the company often turn out to be more expensive than via a regular booking site.

Frustrating

Trade union FNV surveyed 201 EUR staff about DGI Travel. Of those, 96 percent said that booking a business trip via DGI takes longer than if they do it themselves. 86 percent of respondents describe the experience with DGI as frustrating. Only 6 percent say it works fine. The final assessment of respondents is ‘mainly negative’ or even ‘very negative’ in 84 percent of cases.

DGI is therefore seen as slow, expensive and frustrating by the respondents, the union concludes. The union asks the university for more transparency about the procurement process, because that could lead to greater understanding.

Terminate contract

If that is possible within the existing contract, the union advises the Executive Board to allow staff once again to book their travel ‘in a normal way’, that is, without DGI. “If this is not possible within the contract with DGI, the FNV strongly advises terminating the contract”, staat in the report.

The FNV has since presented the report to the university and will meet ‘very soon’ with the director of financial affairs of the EUR to discuss the conclusions, a university spokesperson said. DGI was unavailable for comment.