{"id":151854,"date":"2023-03-14T15:47:14","date_gmt":"2023-03-14T14:47:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/?p=151854"},"modified":"2025-12-19T11:26:41","modified_gmt":"2025-12-19T10:26:41","slug":"rug-allowed-to-dismiss-social-safety-expert","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/2023\/03\/14\/rug-allowed-to-dismiss-social-safety-expert\/","title":{"rendered":"RUG allowed to dismiss social safety expert"},"content":{"rendered":"

The subdistrict court has given the University of Groningen (RUG) permission to dismiss associate professor Susanne T\u00e4uber. She is critical of the lack of social safety at universities and is a member of a committee that advises Education Minister Robbert Dijkgraaf on it.<\/p>\n

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Susanne T\u00e4uber addresses RUG staff and students.<\/span><\/p>

\n\t\n\n<\/svg>\n<\/span>\n\tImage by:<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tZuzana Ludvikova \/ Ukrant<\/a>\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>

A prolonged dispute preceded the ruling<\/a>. T\u00e4uber considered that she was wrongly overlooked for promotion in 2018. She published an article in 2019 criticising her university\u2019s policy. She felt that a special programme for female academics was having a counterproductive effect.<\/p>\n

Soft skills<\/h2>

Her Faculty of Economics and Business Administration was disagreeably surprised, but decided nevertheless in 2020 to promote T\u00e4uber to \u2018Associate Professor 1\u2019 with retroactive effect. A comment was made, however, that publication of the article had resulted in a breach of trust because she had not discussed it with her supervisors. Consequently, mediation was required and T\u00e4uber was to receive coaching to improve her soft skills.<\/p>\n

The district court says in its ruling that after publication of the article, as well as several other incidents, the working relationship became \u2018seriously disrupted\u2019 and that the RUG \u2018played a significant, possibly crucial role\u2019 in it.<\/p>\n

The district court made no comment on whether the RUG breached T\u00e4uber\u2019s freedom of speech. The working relationship was in any event seriously disrupted and it was not possible to place her in another faculty, as she wanted. Conclusion: the employment contract may be terminated effective 1 May.<\/p>\n

Sign<\/h2>

Last Wednesday, T\u00e4uber spoke at a protest meeting in front of the Groningen Academy building, which was intended in part to demonstrate support for her. She sees the ruling as a sign of what can happen if an academic dares to speak out against intimidation and a lack of social safety, wrote<\/a> the university newsletter UKrant<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Recently T\u00e4uber has received many expressions of support from colleagues, using the hashtag #amInext? on Twitter. The General Union of Education (AOb) has also shown solidarity<\/a>. \u201cUnfortunately, as a bearer of bad news, T\u00e4uber has suffered the same fate as many other whistleblowers, namely dismissal\u201d, says sector administrator Donald Pechler. In his view, it shows the importance of a national central hotline for reporting unacceptable behaviour and a lack of social safety at universities.<\/p>\n

Abuses<\/h2>

In February, T\u00e4uber won<\/a> the General Union of Education\u2019s AcademieKus prize. In particular, the jury praised<\/a> the article \u2018Professorial bullies\u2019<\/a> in weekly magazine De Groene Amsterdammer<\/em>, which she published in association with three colleagues. One of the points made in that article is that universities\u2019 policies regarding social safety frequently lead to even more abuse.<\/p>\n

Last December, T\u00e4uber became a member of a committee<\/a> that advises Minister Dijkgraaf on \u2018a diverse and safe teaching and working environment in which everyone can develop, so as to foster the quality of education and research\u2019.<\/p>\n\n\t

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De redactie<\/h2>\n\t\t\n\t\t
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