Organisation - August 24, 2010
Blow your vuvuzela for a pay rise
Education unions are going to make themselves heard on 6 September before the opening of the academic year. With the slogan ‘Science is worth its weight in gold’, they will campaign for a pay rise for university staff.

Verduin: 'Wageningen University made ten million euros profit last year. Student numbers have risen sharply, with very little increase in staffing. Staff have put tremendous efforts into coping with that growth. We think the board should reward those efforts.'
The education unions have asked professors to carry a card saying 'Science is worth its weight in gold' on their gowns when they go to the opening of the academic year, and to hand the cards to board chairman Aalt Dijkhuizen. The unions have no intention of disrupting the ceremony, says Verduin, who speaks on behalf of four unions representing about one thousand members of the university staff between them.
Education unions will be carrying out campaigns for a good labour agreement at other universities too. They want university managements to put pressure on the VSNU to reach a national agreement with the unions which maintains employees' purchasing power and offers job security.
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