The idea of the relay is that another university or college will go on strike each time. ‘What these strikes will look like and when they will take place will differ per institution,’ the FNV trade union told its members.
The General Education Union (Algemene Onderwijsbond in Dutch, ed.) has also decided to do so. The members are certainly willing to take action, says a spokesperson. 'There is also still 1.1 billion euros in cuts in the pipeline. That is not nothing.'
The plans are in an early stage and it remains to be seen where the relay will end. The FNV is thinking of a national day of action around the parliamentary debate on the Spring Memorandum. The AOb does not know yet.
'Tense year'
The Spring Memorandum could be difficult for the four coalition parties. PVV leader Geert Wilders already speaks of a tense year and draws red lines: he does not want to allocate extra money for the climate or Ukraine.
In the course of the year, the government always has to deal with financial windfalls and setbacks. The four government parties (and any condoning partners in the Senate) must then agree on adjustments to the national budget.
For the OCW budget, the government parties have already made a deal with ChristenUnie, SGP, CDA and JA21, at the expense of the Ministry of Health, among others. It seems unlikely that much will change in that regard. But maybe everything will shift again in the event of major windfalls or setbacks.
