Ten questions about the strike at UU on March 11

Why are UU employees and students going on strike?
The Dutch government is cutting 1.1 billion euros from the higher education budget. As a result, Utrecht University will receive less money from The Hague. In addition, universities in the Netherlands are funded according to the number of students they have and UU expects the number of students to decrease. UU already has to reduce its spending by 35 million euros this year, but that amount could rise to an estimated 70 to 80 million by 2029.

The austerity measures will have major consequences for employees and students. For example, once an employee leaves their position, their department will think twice before hiring anyone else for that position. One of the consequences of this is that work groups will become larger. Additionally, temporary teachers are being given less favourable contracts.

Students will have fewer options of courses to follow, as several courses will be axed. Many staff members will see their workload increase as a result of these measures, which will leave less time for teaching and research. Hence the fears that the budget reduction will result in the quality of education dropping.

At other universities, the cutbacks have already led to forced layoffs. The universities that haven't made any employees redundant just yet do not rule that option out. In Utrecht, the Executive Board is trying to prevent this from happening, as recently stated in an email to all employees. However, the board cannot avoid taking other kinds of unpopular measures.

What will the strike look like?
The trade unions AOb and FNV and the action group WOinActie have opted for a relay strike. This means that universities will take turns going on strike. The first university to go on strike will be Leiden, on March 10, and UU will be the second one, on March 11. The Utrecht University of Humanistic Studies is joining UU in this action as are the student unions LSVb and Vidius. 

Why don't teachers and students protest in The Hague again, like they did a few months ago?
On November 25, the entire education sector organised a big demonstration in The Hague. This resulted in a deal between the cabinet and four opposition parties: plans to introduce a fine for students who take "too long" to graduate have been dropped and a series of austerity measures have been mitigated. Even so, the budget for the sector will be 1.1 billion euros smaller. 

Activists continued to exert pressure on the government, threatening a nationwide walk-out if the rest of the austerity measures were not dropped, which happened on December 11. The unions then issued an ultimatum that expired in January. 

The cabinet has not reversed any of the austerity measures so far. The last hope lies in the Senate, which is yet to approve the budget. That's why these strikes are now happening across Dutch universities.

Why are people calling this a "political strike"?
A "regular" strike is when workers protest a decision made by their employer. This strike is directed against the government, which is why people are calling it a "political" strike.

Photo by Phine Hazelbag

Why doesn't the Executive Board support this strike? They supported previous protests...
Although the Executive Board sympathises with the action, it does not believe that the strikes will achieve anything. In their view, a diplomatic route would be more effective in reversing or mitigating the austerity measures. That's why the association of Dutch universities (UNL) is negotiating with the Ministry of Education. In addition, the Executive Board thinks that a strike could backfire. "People might say: 'So we can give them less money, they are not working anyway,'" wrote UU President Anton Pijpers.

What are the consequences of this lack of support from the university administration?
Classes, tests and exams must go ahead as education and research may not be hindered. The board says that students should not be penalised by the strike. The teachers who want to go on strike are now trying to find workarounds such as not scheduling any tests on March 11. Teachers also hope that students will show solidarity towards them and not come to class. After all, the austerity measures affect them too.

If an employee wants to strike, do they have to be affiliated with one of the trade unions? Will UU withhold their salary if they are not?
Many employees, especially international ones, have questions about this. Officially, workers do not receive their salary for the days they go on strike. Employees who are part of a union are partially or entirely reimbursed for their losses, but that arrangement does not apply now. Those who choose to go on strike will be paid by the university and do not have to take any days off.

Will there be any classes on March 11? 
In theory, all classes should go on. In reality, it is not yet clear which classes will go on and which will not. Teachers and students are campaigning hard to convince people to go on strike and they hope to get everyone on board. Members of WOinActie, about ninety Utrecht professors and the Vidius student union are all calling for a strike.

Demonstration against the austerity measures in Utrecht. Photo from November 14, DUB

What will happen exactly on March 11?
The programme has not been finalised yet. Vidius calls this phase the "mobilisation phase". They are being invited by teachers to stop by classes to tell students about the importance of the strike. This way, they hope to get students to support their lecturers.

The only thing that is clear so far is that the demonstrators will gather at Dom Square. A protest march will leave from there at 10:00 am and end back at Domplein before lunchtime. Several activists will reportedly gather by the Administration Building in the afternoon for a picket line.

If a class does not go on due to the strike, will it be rescheduled or cancelled altogether?
They will be cancelled, but the Executive Board has stated that, by the end of the term, students must be given all classes they normally receive. Striking teachers will therefore have to find a way to make that happen.