{"id":170211,"date":"2024-07-01T14:58:22","date_gmt":"2024-07-01T12:58:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/?p=170211"},"modified":"2025-12-19T11:27:25","modified_gmt":"2025-12-19T10:27:25","slug":"social-safety-is-stumbling-block-in-negotiations-on-collective-labour-agreement-dutch-universities","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/2024\/07\/01\/social-safety-is-stumbling-block-in-negotiations-on-collective-labour-agreement-dutch-universities\/","title":{"rendered":"Social safety is stumbling block in negotiations on collective labour agreement Dutch universities"},"content":{"rendered":"

The collective labour agreement of Dutch universities is about to expire. The unions consider it unfortunate that the negotiations are not going well. In particular, universities apparently would much prefer not to talk about social safety.<\/p>\n

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A small group of union members protested<\/a> last week in Utrecht against the university\u2019s failure to reach a collective agreement. They handed out alarm clocks to wake up the university\u2019s leadership. Trade union FNV is calling it a lightning strike.<\/p>\n

The negotiations that started back in March will continue today. These negotiations are about salaries, of course, but also about work pressure and social safety. The latter in particular seems to be an obstacle. FNV executive Bernard Koekoek mentioned reluctance from management.<\/p>\n

Not serious<\/h2>

Several universities have been in the news because of undesirable behaviour, says Koekoek. \u201cWe have now gone through five rounds of negotiations, but they still don\u2019t understand that they have to do something about this. If you ask me, you\u2019re not taking your own employees seriously if you don\u2019t want to address this.\u201d<\/p>\n

What the unions want? Koekoek calls for a ban on \u2018nondisclosure clauses\u2019 that keep misconduct under wraps. He also advocates for lower thresholds for employees reporting problems and strengthening the structure around the ombudsman and the confidential adviser.<\/p>\n

'We are open to it'<\/h2>

Do universities reject this? No, says spokesperson Ruben Puylaert of the UNL employers\u2019 association. \u201cWe are open to making agreements on this. However, the collective bargaining is still ongoing, so obviously the outcomes are not yet clear.\u201d<\/p>\n

He cannot say on which point the directors disagree with the unions. \u201cJust like the employees\u2019 associations, UNL wants to improve social safety in universities\u201d, he explains. \u201cIt is unacceptable for staff and students to have to deal with undesirable behaviour.\u201d<\/p>\n

The talks with the unions are \u2018part of a broader package of social safety measures\u2019, Puylaert says. The universities are working on a joint action plan. Furthermore, the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science has a social safety programme, in which UNL is developing a \u2018comprehensive approach\u2019 to social safety together with unions and students, among other parties.<\/p>\n

Temporary contracts<\/h2>

Temporary contracts are a different story. According to unions, it is harder to speak out against misconduct if you are on a temporary contract. If they find you troublesome, they just won\u2019t renew your contract and you\u2019re gone. This is said to factor into social safety issues.<\/p>\n

Universities are taking on more permanent staff; this was also agreed in an administrative agreement with the Ministry. However, the elections may throw a spanner in the works: the incoming government wants to cut this funding. It is not yet clear what this means for the increase in permanent contracts. The universities have just announced <\/a>that they are considering legal action against those cuts.<\/p>\n\n\t

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