{"id":5489,"date":"2016-01-08T13:05:35","date_gmt":"2016-01-08T12:05:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/2016\/01\/08\/geen-uitzondering-voor-academici-in-flexwet\/"},"modified":"2025-12-19T11:22:19","modified_gmt":"2025-12-19T10:22:19","slug":"geen-uitzondering-voor-academici-in-flexwet","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/2016\/01\/08\/geen-uitzondering-voor-academici-in-flexwet\/","title":{"rendered":"No exceptions for academics in Flexibility and Security Act"},"content":{"rendered":"
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De onderhandelingen over een universitaire cao zitten nog steeds muurvast<\/span><\/p><\/figcaption><\/figure>

Like other employers, universities will have to offer scholars and scientists employment contracts more quickly. Answers from Ministers Bussemaker and Asscher to questions in Parliament from VVD (political party) made clear that the Cabinet will make no exceptions for scientists.<\/p>\n

Scholars and scientists from the Jonge Akademie recently<\/a> warned that the new Flexibility and Security Act is not right for academics. In the new situation universities may retain people on temporary contracts for four years, after which a permanent contract must be offered.<\/p>\n

For scholars and scientists, however, this often means that they have to relocate to another institute, sometimes when they\u2019ve just managed to obtain a prestigious grant. Universities actually receive insufficient permanent funding to offer employees a permanent contract after just four years; who will pay for their salary if their grant finishes after a year?<\/p>\n

No exceptions<\/h3>

The Cabinet is, however, not prepared to make an exception in the Act. It stated that additional funding has already been promised to universities for the coming years, which will enable \u201cmore permanent appointments to be realised\u201d. Money from the student loan system is also expected to create more \u201ccertainty and financial muscle\u201d.<\/p>\n

Both Ministers furthermore made the point that a permanent contract can always be terminated again. For example via the employee insurance agency, UWV.<\/p>\n

However, terminating a permanent contract is much more complicated than not extending a temporary contact: termination may only be for business reasons or during long-term occupational disability, and employees can always appeal.<\/p>\n

Disappointing<\/h3>

It is a disappointing response to issues raised by scholars and scientists, responded Rianne Letschert, the Jonge Akademie Chair. \u201cI agree in principle that universities should offer permanent contracts more quickly, but it doesn\u2019t work like that in practice\u201d, she said. \u201cIf someone obtains a grant, you just don\u2019t know whether they\u2019ll be successful again in a couple of years. And because the basic funding is insufficient, you cannot guarantee then that there will be enough money to pay someone.\u201d<\/p>\n

In theory, universities should be able to dissolve contracts in such cases, agreed Letschert. But in practice they won\u2019t want to get involved in this. After all, choosing the UWV route costs additional money and time. And on top of this there is also the dismissal payment to which employees are entitled.<\/p>\n

Letschert is afraid that in practice this will amount to scholars and scientists having to relocate from place to place more frequently. \u201cYou could say that that\u2019s good for mobility. But I don\u2019t agree if the relocation isn\u2019t voluntary. What\u2019s more, you can\u2019t assume that someone\u2019s partner and children will want to relocate should you have to move from Utrecht to Groningen. This did happen in the past, but it is much more complicated these days.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\t

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