Trade unions warn: ‘Don't make any hasty decisions’

Around forty employees of the University Corporate Offices (UBD) attended a trade union meeting on Thursday 3 July about the announced reorganisation. Emotions were running high. One employee said that the number of redundancies in his group would probably be much lower if more people had not been hired last year. Another wondered what she should do until the end of the year if it is already clear that her job will no longer exist after February 2026. A couple of employees were also surprised that not everyone in a corporate office had been informed in the same way and that some colleagues had not heard anything from their own director. One attendee said that a manager had already encouraged his employees to look for other work.

On 1 July, almost all employees of the eight corporate offices of the UBD were informed that a reorganisation was planned due to budget cuts. This will result in the loss of around 80 to 100 jobs, but may affect a larger number of employees as many work part-time. The trade unions were informed a day later in the Labour Representation Board, the body where the unions consult with the university board. They hastily organised a meeting about the reorganisation plans, which must be completed by February next year.

The employees, most of whom are union members, came mainly from the Student &Academic Affairs’ Offices (SO&O) department, which is being hit hard. For example, the university board in charge of the UBD wants to scrap the Skills Lab, which supports students, and the Centre for Academic Teaching (CAT), which supports lecturers, will have to operate with a third fewer employees. It was reported that the meeting on Tuesday was experienced as very painful and uncomfortable by the SO&O employees who work in these departments. “They should have taken the groups that will be most affected aside first. Then we would have been prepared. Now we were singled out in front of all our colleagues as the ones who will no longer be here next year.”

No hasty decisions
The various trade union representatives present were shocked by the stories. It was not yet clear to them either how the cuts would affect UBD employees exactly and whether the work being cut at the UBD would have to be taken on by the faculties.

The unions told those present that it would be better to let the news about the reorganisation sink in for a while and not to make any hasty decisions. For example, the Employee Consultative Body still has to approve the reorganisation, and then a social plan has to be drawn up in consultation with the unions, setting out agreements on how the employees who are made redundant will be helped to find other work, for example, and what financial arrangements will be made.

“Nothing is final yet,” warned the various union representatives present. Parts of the reorganisation appear to have already taken shape, but nothing could be further from the truth. “There are now UBD employees who think they are safe from dismissal, there are UBD employees who are uncertain about their jobs, and there are UBD employees who think they know they will be dismissed. And that is dangerous, because the cutbacks could turn out differently and affect other colleagues.” They said that more clarity on this should be provided between September and October.

When in doubt, wait for the social plan
Of course, the union representatives said, it is perfectly fine to accept a new job if it makes you happy. “But if in doubt, it might be better to wait until it is clear exactly which jobs are being lost and wait until the social plan is in place.” As an example, the unions mentioned that anyone who now takes a job that pays less will not receive a salary supplement, whereas this might be the case if the social plan is adopted. “The unions will fight for the most favourable arrangements possible.”

Painful for employees who are seeing their jobs disappear is that the unions have said that collective labour agreement provisions on dismissal have actually deteriorated. “Because all universities were doing so well financially at the time and more permanent contracts were being offered,” said a union representative. For example, the notice period has been reduced from thirteen to three months and redundancy protection has been reduced from seven to four months. And the golden handshake? “That was once, but not anymore.”

The unions want to organise another meeting for UBD employees at the end of July. “We hope to know more about the reorganisation by then. The Employee Consultative Body will meet on 10 July for the first time in public to discuss the plans. We also wonder whether the University Council should not also consider the reorganisation, as it may have consequences for the faculties.”

A second meeting of the trade unions will be held on 5 August. The location and time will be announced in due course.