It looks like fewer people will be fired at the corporate offices than expected

This week and next week, most employees of the University Corporate Offices (also known by the Dutch acronym UBD, Ed.) will be informed about the department's cutbacks and the reorganisation that will ensue. Between September 29 and October 1, the employees and teams directly affected by the reorganisation will be informed, either as a team or individually. They may be told that employees will be assigned different tasks or positions, or that they will be transferred to another department. They will also be informed if any staff members are likely to be made redundant.

Although the board still expects eighty to one hundred full-time jobs to be lost, ‘the number of redundancies appears to be relatively limited,’ according to a spokesperson. This is because some measures will be spread over a period of three years, and some tasks have been ‘shifted or adjusted’. The university is also taking ‘natural turnover’ into account, meaning the employees who retire or take on other jobs elsewhere.

The latest half-year figures from UBD also paint a more favourable picture. They show that, contrary to earlier expectations, the corporate offices appear to be on track to achieve the 14.7 million euros they are supposed to save this year. This achievement is due to several one-off financial windfalls and, to a lesser extent, vacancies not being filled. The corporate offices have also started to hire fewer external staff and pay more attention to small expenses.

However, the reorganisation remains necessary, as the board emphasised on September 4 in a meeting with UBD's Employee Representative Body (works council) to discuss the department's financial situation. That's because the university will have to save even more money in the coming years. The reorganisation aims to make UBD financially healthy in the long term.

Unrest
The measures announced by the board still caused unrest, as evidenced by a walk-in session with the Employee Representative Body held on September 9 – the second such session since the reorganisation was announced. Approximately 100 people attended these two meetings, which provided UBD staff with the opportunity to address their questions and concerns. Several employees reported seeing colleagues leave for other jobs, which created gaps in their teams and changed the nature of their work. Some also asked if UBD staff would be given priority when applying for internal vacancies and, if so, whether this advantage would apply only to vacancies within the corporate offices or all vacancies at Utrecht University.

The Employee Representative Body was unable to answer these questions at the time, but they promised to pass them on to the Executive Board and repeated what trade unions had said during a meeting in July: anyone who can find a good job elsewhere should go for it, but those unsure about taking another job would be better off waiting until the social plan is known. This plan outlines the financial arrangements UBD staff can rely on and how employees will be supported in finding alternative employment. The social plan will be agreed with the trade unions in the Labour Representation Board.

Substantiation
The works council is frustrated about not having received any substantiation for the 42 measures underlying the reorganisation, such as the budget cuts affecting the Skills Lab, which helps students with their theses, and the Centre for Academic Teaching & Learning (CAT), which supports lecturers. ‘These plans are based on a report by the corporate offices, but they are not showing us that report.’

The university says that the 'advisory report', which was drawn up under the guidance of an external consultant, will not be released in its entirety – not even when the reorganisation plan, which is still being worked on, is ready and sent to the Employee Representative Council in mid-October. According to the university, the Executive Board does not want to make the report public because it contains details that can be traced back to individual positions, without further explanation. The measures will only be detailed once the reorganisation plan is known.

The University Council has also posed a question about UBD's reorganisation to the Executive Board. University Council members also want to have a say in the reorganisation plan because changes in the corporate offices' work may have consequences for all faculties. The spokesperson for the university states that the University Council will be informed about the reorganisation plan, but the formal role lies with the Employee Representative Body. According to the spokesperson, the agreement stipulates that topics can only be discussed at ‘a single council table’.

Reorganisation plan
The spokesperson adds that the reorganisation plan will substantiate the 42 measures, why they have been chosen, how they will be implemented and what the consequences will be for UBD staff. She notes that UU wants to keep communication clear. The plan will be shared through the Intranet on October 17. After this date, the works council will have to issue an opinion about it. Then, in November, both parties must reach an agreement on the social plan, which sets out the rights and allowances for those threatened with redundancy. In December, it must be known who will be affected.

The reorganisation must be completed by February 1, 2026. However, those who are made redundant will still have several months of protection against dismissal and a notice period, which means that they will not leave the university until a few months later. During this period, the employees will continue to receive their salary.

The University Corporate Offices comprise seven units and the Centre for Science & Culture, which carry out work for the entire university, including developing and monitoring education and research policies, building maintenance, IT facilities, human resources, and communication.