A specter is haunting Dutch higher education: The anti-budget cut movement has brought many of us together across departments and ranks in ways that no well-resourced networking event could have ever done, and just as at other universities around the country, the University of Twente has witnessed levels of unrest not seen in decades.
It all started with a petition against the government’s monstrous austerity plans for the education sector. Recently, hundreds of us braved the rain and joined 25,000 demonstrators in a mass protest against the budget cuts in The Hague. Even more joined in for two well-attended local demonstrations in Enschede. Unfortunately, the government’s continued insistence on bleeding dry the already struggling education sector seems to indicate that we have not yet been heard. As of last Thursday, the government and opposition agreed to pass education cuts amounting to €1.24 billion, including cuts to the equal opportunity budget and cuts for international students. Meanwhile, the UT is also facing its own home-made financial crisis. Depending on how disastrous the budget cuts will turn out, this could mean that between 250 and 500 of our colleagues, teachers and support staff could be fired.
Social achievement
What is the most effective way to stand together against the attacks on higher education which have direct consequences on our colleagues and students? We believe that exercising our right to strike as staff at the University of Twente and nationwide is the only way for us to make our voices heard. Other sectors have already taken this step: In September, union members across the Netherlands held a series of strikes demanding the extension of the early retirement scheme for physically demanding jobs just ahead of the budget negotiations. As part of the protest, public transport workers downed their tools for three days, but construction, industry, metal, cleaning and healthcare workers also went on strike or held actions. Following the strikes, the government made concessions and agreed to safeguard – albeit with new limits – early retirement for employees in heavy professions. In September, cleaners held their largest strike in ten years. In November, they were joined by pharmacists around the country who held their first ever country-wide strike calling for better working conditions and fair pay. When is the education sector going to follow suit? Our colleagues at the University of Amsterdam recently voted with an overwhelming majority of 84 percent to go on strike over the university’s ties with institutions complicit in genocide. The UvA’s example shows that the democratic labor movement in higher education is alive and well. At the University of Twente, too, many are organized in labor unions like the FNV and AOb and ready to take further action.
The right to strike is an important social achievement. Some of the authors of this piece are from Germany, where political strikes have been effectively banned for decades, severely limiting the space for political expression. In the Netherlands, political strikes are explicitly allowed, although there are certain procedures to follow. The first steps of these procedures have already been followed by the involved unions in anticipation of the struggle ahead. We should cherish and make use of this democratic right.
Solidarity
As employees and students, we cannot match the government’s financial means or political might – the refusal to keep working under conditions that threaten the future of our sector is the most effective tool we have at hand. Not only would a strike be a strong sign of solidarity with our colleagues and students, it would also give us the chance to break out of the daily routine and rethink what education should really be about. In Argentina, where universities are also facing drastic budget cuts under a far-right government, lecturers recently took to the streets in a creative way and offered free open-air instruction. In this way, they were able to achieve even higher levels of disruption while reminding the public of the value of free public education. Importantly, as university staff, we cannot strike alone, as we are part of a greater university community. Therefore, the support and understanding of the student body will be crucial if we want to extract any meaningful concessions from government and university leadership. Fortunately, student organizations have made their rejection of the budget cuts abundantly clear, and the Dutch student union LSVb has been a driving force behind the anti-budget cut movement. At the UT, the Twente for Protest Whatsapp group alone boasts almost six hundred staff and students in solidarity against the budget cuts and austerity measures. Our call for your support comes from knowing we can achieve much more when we all stand together.
Elias Köning (PhD, BMS), Margoth González Woge (Lecturer BMS), Professor Julia Hermann (Assistant Professor, BMS) and Benjamin Jabold (PhD, BMS).
