Trade unions are demanding a 6 percent pay rise for university staff

The collective labour agreement for university staff expires at the end of June. Trade unions AOb and FNV will meet with the association of Dutch universities, UNL, this week to negotiate new terms and conditions of employment.

The unions are calling for a 6 percent pay rise. They argue that this should be paid out “in pence rather than per cent”, so that the staff with the lowest incomes benefits more. They also want wages to be linked to inflation from now on; if prices rise, wages must rise too.

Contract extension during pregnancy
In addition, the unions are looking to improve the position of pregnant staff. They are demanding that postdocs on fixed-term contracts be entitled to contract extensions during maternity or parental leave.

“This will give postdocs the time to properly complete their research and enjoy their leave,” says Donald Pechler, a board member at AOb. “At present, they often carry on working, whilst the Employment Insurance Agency (UWV) pays universities during their leave.” Furthermore, the unions are calling for a one-month contract extension for postdocs who are breastfeeding.

Right to be unreachable
Another demand is that the "right to be unreachable" be included in the collective agreement, so that university staff cannot simply be called up for every little thing. Outside working hours, they are not obliged to be available, the unions argue.

They also want better overtime pay, particularly for lecturers on lower pay scales with temporary contracts. They often have a temporary contract for 0.8 FTE but work full-time in practice. According to the unions, this needs to change: “They must be compensated for the overtime or, better still, get a permanent contract for a full-time position.” AOb and FNV hope that a new collective labour agreement will be adopted by the end of June.