Dear Management,
Following a collective vote among the striking departments—based on the responses of leadership
to Casual UvA’s strike demands—a motion has passed to continue the strike. Due to a lack of urgency and transparency, we are not confident in how the proposed Central HR policy will be
implemented at various organisational levels. To be clear, we do see promise in the opportunities it
may afford but are not prepared to cease actions without meaningful engagement. As it stands,
too many of our questions have gone unanswered, too many of our requests have been ignored.
To mitigate the impacts of these actions on our students, the eight striking departments have
agreed to release Block 4 grades within 15 working days. Further, our marking strike action will now apply to Block 5 grades with immediate effect. We will refrain from grading any remaining or
upcoming assignments for Block 5 courses, including, but not limited to, final examinations.
We agreed on this route by a clear majority decision as a symbol of good faith, based on our
relationships with our students, and in hopes that we are closer to a managerial solution. For now though, the pressure needs to remain to take our needs seriously.
We petition for the original conditions to be met and will remain on strike until they are. We are no
longer interested in discussing options, but in implementing solutions. We will release a detailed
manifesto of our concerns to management to inform solution-oriented discussions and binding
policy recommendations. We demand specifics of the Central HR Policy and department
commitments to the following:
- Permanent Contracts
- Workload Transparency
- Professional Development
Our action group strives to improve the working conditions of those on temporary contracts at the
university, which indirectly benefits our students, colleagues, and other stakeholders. We would
like to thank those who support us in solidarity and commend the incredibly brave population of
over 100 junior teachers who are speaking up for change by joining us in this act.
Casual UvA is in talks with more departments across the university and calling on solidarity and
participation from students and staff. We are supported in these efforts nationally by 0.7 and
Casual Academy. Please visit our website and contact us to learn more about how you can support
our mission against casualisation.
In solidarity,
Casual UvA
Striking Departments: Anthropology, Sociology, Political Science, ISW,
Future Planet Studies, Béta Gamma, Human Geography, Communication Science