Lecturers may go on strike, but exams will go on

Students, lecturers, researchers and other higher education staff will gather in Amsterdam next Tuesday to protest the budget cuts in higher education. Education trade unions have also called a strike. "We know it's a busy time as the holidays are approaching, but we want to send a message. Everyone is welcome," says Douwe van der Zweep, Director of the General Education Union.

Students
Students do not have the right to strike, so they may be required to attend classes on 9 December. Students interested in attending the protest are advised to consult their lecturers to see whether they can miss a class, says Maaike Krom, chair of the National Student Union.

She is disappointed that not all students will have the day off. "It would be nice if all students were given the opportunity to strike," she says. Most do not. Radboud University Nijmegen, for example, writes that students are not required to attend classes, except if they have "exams, patient care or compulsory practicals that cannot be rescheduled".

The universities of applied sciences in Arnhem and Nijmegen say something similar on their websites. Students can report their absence to their programme, but "exams will go on as usual, students will not be exempted from them."

Utrecht University states in a guide for demonstrations that students are responsible for catching up on missed coursework. The university is lenient about compulsory attendance so that students can exercise their right to demonstrate, but this does not apply to exams. The Executive Board will not attend the demonstration in Amsterdam.

Coordination
The Association of Dutch Universities, UNL, has announced that strikers will receive their wages as usual. However, employees will have to coordinate their participation with their managers. "It is important to us that examinations, PhD defences, inaugural lectures and other important events can go ahead, and that students receive all the material within the duration of a course," says a UNL spokesperson.

Satisfied
Trade union AOb is satisfied with this display of support. "The institutions could withhold wages, but they chose not to do so," says Van der Zweep. "We are satisfied with that. They agree with our goal." The latter is true. Employers and employees often joined forces to resist austerity measures against higher education. For example, they issued a joint statement this autumn.

March
The demonstrators will gather on Dam Square, in Amsterdam, at noon. The programme, which features several speakers, will begin at 12:30 pm. This will be followed by a march through the city.

AOb has posted answers to frequently asked questions online. Members of the trade union can receive a free train ticket, for example. The trade union also explains the right to strike.