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  1. Universities: ‘A blow to our students and staff’

    Onderwijs

    Solid cuts to education and research in general agreement

    Today, the coalition-forming parties presented their general agreement. The cuts to education, research and innovation came as a major shock to universities. These plans will damage the future of young people and the Netherlands. Jouke de Vries, acting president of Universities of the Netherlands: ‘The cuts to education and science are a blow to our students and staff who are already under enormous pressure. Together with the sharp intervention in the international nature of universities, these cuts are harming our ability to provide quality education and carry out research. This does not match the coalition-forming parties’ ambition to strengthen the knowledge economy and earning power of the Netherlands. With these cuts, we are putting the future of our country's youth at stake.’

  2. Universities to systematically improve social safety

    Personeel

    Dutch universities will do even more to improve social safety in their institutes. On 14 May, the Labour Inspectorate presented a study on undesirable behaviour, workload and working hours that showed, among other things, that more than half of all academic staff had experienced undesirable behaviour in the past two years. Universities of the Netherlands (UNL) is shocked by these results. Rianne Letschert, president of the Executive Board of Maastricht University on behalf of UNL: ‘It is unacceptable that so many employees should have to deal with undesirable behaviour. A safe working environment is not only a fundamental right of all staff and students, but also an essential prerequisite for high-quality education and research.’

  3. External Intimidation, Hatred and Threats against Academics Monitor.pdf

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  4. Dozens of safety measures for academics

    Personeel

    UNL, KNAW and NWO have published a monitor on external intimidation, hatred and threats against academics

    Between November 2022 and December 2023, a total of 45 one-off and 14 structural safety measures were taken for academics or university staff. This was one of the findings of the Monitor for external intimidation, hatred and threats against academics, published today by the Universities of the Netherlands (UNL), the Dutch Research Council (NWO) and the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences (KNAW). UNL President Caspar van den Berg says, “It is appalling and unacceptable for academics to have to worry about their safety after sharing their research results. The monitor shows how important it is that we all continue to stand behind our academics.”

  5. Universities and employee organisations reach agreement on new collective agreement

    The Universities of the Netherlands (UNL) and employee organisations have reached a negotiation
    settlement on a new Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities. The agreement includes a
    pay increase of 3.7% from 1 September 2024, with salaries to be raised by a further 1.0% on 1 January
    2025. Staff employed at a Dutch university on 1 September 2024 will receive a one-off gross payment
    of 300 euros. The universities and unions have also agreed on strategies to tackle social safety and
    workload issues. The new collective labour agreement will run until 30 June 2025. Margot van der
    Starre, Vice-President of Utrecht University and head of the UNL delegation, says: “Due to the budget
    cuts announced by the incoming government, the universities find themselves in uncertain times,
    financially speaking. For this reason, we and the unions opted for a responsible pay increase.”

  6. Negotiation result CLA 2024-2025

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  7. CLA 2024-2025

    Publication
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  8. National PhD Candidates Survey Results

    What are the experiences of PhD candidates and how satisfied are they with various aspects of the PhD trajectory, such as education, supervision, and workload? Dutch universities conducted research.

  9. Results of Recognition & Rewards culture barometer provide guidance for further implementation of the change programme

    The various ambitions of the Recognition & Rewards programme are widely supported by academics. For example, they firmly endorse the diversification of career paths and the focus on quality. In addition, over half of the respondents expect to be better able to make fundamental decisions in line with their preferences, talents and life stage, besides expecting that their work will be valued more broadly. This is shown by the outcomes of the first Recognition & Rewards culture barometer, administered at the start of 2024 among academics at the institutions collaborating in the national Recognition & Rewards programme.

  10. Letter Rectores Magnifici in Trouw

    Onderwijs

    Like many others around the globe, the Dutch universities are deeply concerned about the situation in Gaza and Israel. The horrific attack on 7 October, the uncertain fate of the Israeli hostages, the constantly escalating spiral of violence against the Palestinian civilian population: the images we are seeing shock us daily. We hope that it comes to an end very soon and that the good forces working for hope and peace may once again prevail, including in conflict zones elsewhere in the world.

  11. Directive for protests at research universities and universities of applied sciences

    Kennis en kritische geluiden zijn het kloppend hart van universiteiten en hogescholen. Daarbij horen inhoudelijke debatten en ook de mogelijkheid om te protesteren. In Nederland geldt dat mensen het recht hebben op vrijheid van meningsuiting, vereniging, vergadering en betoging. Universiteiten en hogescholen ondersteunen dat van harte. Protesteren op de universiteit en hogeschool mag dan ook. Universiteiten en hogescholen vinden het daarbij belangrijk dat iedereen zich veilig kan voelen op de campus en in de gebouwen. Daarom dienen wet- en regelgeving en de huis- en gedragsregels te worden gerespecteerd. Ook bij protesten. Hoewel iedere universiteit het anders verwoordt in de huis- en gedragsregels, gelden overal dezelfde afspraken voor protestacties. Vandaag is een gezamenlijke richtlijn van Universiteiten van Nederland en Vereniging Hogescholen voor protesten gepubliceerd.

  12. Directive for protests at research universities and universities of applied sciences.pdf

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