Trade unions: many TU Delft staff consider leaving

Bullying, intimidation, discrimination… Some staff members at TU Delft are considering looking for another job due to ongoing issues with social safety, according to a survey by trade unions.

Around five hundred TU Delft staff members took part in a survey by trade unions FNV, CNV and AOb. Of these, 43 per cent reported experiencing unacceptable behaviour in the past year.

The trade unions wanted to assess this due to persistent problems with social safety at the technical university, which last year led to a scathing assessment by the Education Inspectorate. “Care for staff is being neglected”, the inspectors stated. They also pointed to alleged mismanagement.

Damage

According to respondents, unacceptable behaviour (mainly bullying, intimidation and discrimination, but sometimes also sexual harassment or even violence) leads to stress and reduced performance. Some reported psychological harm and taking sick leave.

It is hardly surprising, then, that 37 per cent are considering working elsewhere due to the ‘work culture’ at Delft. On the other hand, 47 per cent are not considering leaving, while another 16 per cent remain neutral.

Outcome

It is difficult to determine how representative the sample is: TU Delft employs around 7,600 people, and it is possible that staff who felt affected by the issue were more likely to respond. Nevertheless, the results show that the problems have not yet been resolved.

More than half of the respondents are dissatisfied with the policy. An even larger group (57 per cent) believe that managers do not set a good example.

Trade unions

“Leadership at TU must change”, concludes FNV official Gijs Kooistra. “Decisions on policy and careers must be organised in a much more democratic way. There should be no room for favouritism or bullying. And there must be space for dissent.”

Last month, TU Delft set up a hotline for integrity and social safety. Far too late, the trade unions believe. They also feel that the university’s own ‘baseline measurement’ has been too slow in coming.