Education sector to strike on 15 March
On 15 March, the education sector will go on strike according to the General Education Union (AOb) and employee union FNV. They want more money for education: at least 2.9 billion euros this year.
The day of the nation-wide strike falls on the last day of an action week for education staff, says the Aob. This is the first time the education sector in its entirety will strike at the same time. The AOb, together with the FNV, are the strike’s initiators.
During the action week, campaigns will take place all over the country. Carline van Breugel (LSVb) says that as of yet there is no programme, but that everyone is ‘invited to take action. We will make a plan over the coming weeks.’ The union will pay compensation for those of its members who won’t receive payment for the days they take strike action.
Whereas the National Student Union (LSVb) supports the strike, it is not clear whether it is supported by action group WoinActie, says founder and UvA professor Rens Bod (Digital Humanities). ‘We will speak with the Minister of Education on Friday. We have no reason to take action if she can secure the money we need to maintain quality education, but I find this hard to imagine.’
Elections
The action week, planned a week before provincial state elections and the election of the senate, is the next step in a series of similar actions such as the protest march on 19 December which saw two thousand professors, researchers and students marching in The Hague in order to draw attention to their increased work load and demand more money. Minister Ingrid van Engelshoven (Education, Culture and Science; D66) repeated that no extra investments would be made in higher education.
