Student council members wants leniency during public transport strikes

Last Friday, students were informed that classes would proceed as usual, even though NS, the Dutch rail company, went on strike and no trains were running in the entire country that day. However, attendance was not compulsory.

Different rules applied to exams and other tests. ‘The strike will not be considered a valid reason for absence and you will not be given an additional opportunity to take the test,’ UU says on its website. The same position was adopted on Tuesday, when NS went on strike nationwide again. 

Problems
The student section of the University Council considers the university's stance too strict. It stated so in writing at the end of last week. The council members have heard from students who had difficulties reaching Utrecht due to the strike. For this reason, they consider the tone of the post on UU's website ‘unfortunate and unnecessarily harsh’.

‘A national public transport strike creates exceptional circumstances in which students may have no reasonable alternative, certainly not without considerable financial and/or practical obstacles,’ they argue.

Therefore, the students on the council are asking the Executive Board to amend or withdraw the message. They believe there should be room for customisation depending on the specific circumstances of individual students. Students should also be better informed about their options in cases of force majeure.

Attention
In a brief response to DUB, the Executive Board states that it will pay attention to the tone and the provision of information in future communications regarding strikes. The response does not mention whether the board is also considering including public transport strikes into the list of acceptable reasons for absence on exams and other tests, which would entitle students to a resit in future cases.