Yesterday, a small group of union members protested in Utrecht against the failure to reach a collective agreement for universities. They handed out alarm clocks as a wake-up call to administrators. An awareness campaign is what trade union FNV calls it.

The negotiations, which already started in March, will continue today. They focus on salaries, of course, but also on workload and social safety. The latter in particular seems to be a tricky subject. FNV administrator Bernard Koekoek says there is administrative unwillingness.

Not seriously

Several universities have made the news because of undesirable behaviour, says Koekoek. “Meanwhile, five negotiation rounds are behind us, but they still don’t get it’s time to take action. If you ask me, that means they’re not taking their employees seriously.”

What the unions want? Koekoek mentions a ban on a ‘secrecy clause’ that keeps misconduct under wraps. He also calls for lower thresholds for employees that report problems and reinforcement of the structure around the ombuds officer and confidential advisor.

“We’re open to it”

Do the universities reject this? No, says Ruben Puylaert, spokesperson of employer association Universities of the Netherlands (UNL). “We’re open to making agreements about it. But the collective agreement negotiations are still ongoing, so the outcomes are obviously not clear yet.”

He can’t say in which area there’s a difference of opinion between the administrators and the unions. “Just like the employee organisations, UNL wants to improve social safety at universities”, he states. “It’s unacceptable for staff and students to be confronted with undesirable behaviour.”

The talks with the unions are “part of a broader package of measures in the area of social safety”, says Puylaert. The universities are working on a joint plan of action. The Ministry of Education, Culture and Science also has a programme on social safety, in which UNL works together with unions, students and other stakeholders to develop an “integral approach” to social safety.

Temporary contracts

Temporary contracts are another matter. According to the unions, it’s more difficult to speak out against misconduct if you’re on a temporary contract. If they think you’re a pain, they’ll simply not renew your contract and then you’re out of there. This is said to play a role in the problems relating to social safety.

The universities are hiring more people permanently; this is in accordance with an administrative agreement with the ministry. But the elections may get in the way: the upcoming cabinet wants to rescind this money. What this means for the increase of the number of permanent contracts isn’t clear yet. The universities recently announced they are considering legal steps against those cutbacks.