Casual UvA announces new marking strike
Casual UvA, an action group of employees with mostly temporary contracts, is starting another marking strike in Block 5. The action group says it is dissatisfied with the implementation and results of the new faculty policy. The UvA claims that significant changes have been made.
Casual UvA lifted the previous 2022 marking strike - in which over 120 junior lecturers participated - after the UvA announced the new lecturer policy. The action group said it admired the university for this policy’s intentions, including an end to annual contracts for (junior) teachers, who were instead to be given either four-year or permanent contracts. Casual UvA saw this as “a step toward improving the working position of lecturers” and “combating the vulnerable position in which many temporary lecturers find themselves.”
In a statement, the action group now says it is dissatisfied with the results. Through junior lecturer Alexandra Lopez (sociology), Casual UvA announces that according to the action group “problems such as precarious working conditions, lack of professional development, and work overload have not been addressed.” Casual UvA further states that talks with various departments and the Executive Board have yielded too little. The group opted for a marking strike because it “minimizes the pressure on students and faculty, but still exerts significant pressure on the UvA administration.” (It should be noted that last year a group of students did feel victimized.)
- More permanent contracts
With the new teacher policy, many D4 teachers have been given D3 contracts, but according to Casual UvA, many D4 teachers’ contracts have not been renewed, either. According to the activist group, the D4 teacher pool is becoming a pool of “exploitable and workaholic academic staff” who dare not speak out due to temporary contracts. Casual UvA also sees that there is an “unofficial PhD requirement” for a D3 teacher contract.
- More professional development
The action group wants tracks for academic staff with clear development opportunities. Now, for example, D4 lecturers need a PhD to advance to D3, while in their four-year D4 contract, they have no time to obtain a PhD and are labeled overqualified for the next D4 contract. The group wants research time for all academic staff.
- Transparency about workload
The action group claims that lecturers are being systematically overworked, as highlighted by a recent FNV report. Casual UvA wants an honest reassessment of the workload.
More permanent contracts
The UvA stated in April after a review of the new faculty policy that significant changes had indeed been made. For example, nearly 100 D4 lecturers (who only teach study groups) are said to have moved on to permanent jobs as D3 lecturers (with coordinating duties as well), a four-year temporary contract is becoming the standard for D4 lecturers, and a contract of 0.8 to 1 FTE is the standard for new vacancies. In addition, for D3 and D4 teachers, 0.1 FTE is reserved for professional development; for D2 and D1 it is 0.2 FTE. Also, all teachers must have a Personal Development Plan by June.
Because implementation at faculties is sometimes recalcitrant in practice, the UvA says lecturers can seek advice from the independent UvA-wide Committee on Lecturer Policy if they cannot come to an agreement with their supervisor. UvA Board Chairman Geert ten Dam says she wants to continue along this path, while Central Works Council Chairman Gerwin van der Pol sees that there is “finally more appreciation for the work that lecturers do.” The COR also wants to continue to insist that all faculties “implement this in the same way, in the spirit of the policy and generously.” The COR says it is open to further discussions with Casual UvA.
The action committee responded that it is aware of the positive developments, but argues that by and large the policy still has too many shortcomings and that different faculties are implementing the policy differently. While a number of D4 lecturers have indeed been given permanent D3 lecturer contracts, many lecturers’ contracts have also reportedly not been renewed. According to the action group, a “generous policy” was promised last year but does not correspond to practice.
Casual UvA also claims that faculties and departments have “unofficially denied employees without a PhD degree a permanent D3 contract” so lecturers’ contracts have not been renewed, which would have caused “stress for the dismissed lecturers and extra workload for the lecturers who stayed on.” Work pressure also means that there is no time for professional development plans, and discussions with the Teacher Policy Committee were also said to not be going smoothly (read Casual UvA’s entire response here). The group, therefore, wants a temporary moratorium on all expiring contracts until an agreement is reached that the protesting lecturers can live with, in addition to demanding that D4 lecturers also be given temporary contracts.
The UvA is currently working on a statement on the announced marking strike.
