Newsletter June 2023

Dear colleagues,

From 12-16 June, the nationwide Action Week in Science is taking place, supported by a broad alliance of trade unions, students', doctoral students' and employees' initiatives.

The action week demands better working conditions for the academic mid-level staff, and therefore a fundamental reform of the Wissenschaftszeitvertragsgesetz (WissZeitVG).

The direct and indirect effects of the WissZeitVG affect us all: maximum fixed-term contracts before and after the doctorate; chain contracts with short terms, coupled with changes of location and elaborate project applications; part-time positions with de facto full working hours; LfbA positions with maximum teaching loads etc.

The action week is intended to increase the pressure on politicians, and the timing could not be more appropriate: The WissZeitVG is currently being revised by the federal government, and just this week the BMBF published a new draft that is already being discussed controversially in the media.

The Mittelbau-Konvent supports the action week and calls for participation!

Next Wednesday, 14 June, 6:00 p.m. c.t. (WIWI HS 6), we will host a panel discussion on the action week: Christiane Glas-Kinateder (Ver.di Bayern), Dr. Desiderius Meier (Mittelbau-Konvent), Prof. Dr. Jan Schumann (Vice President for the Promotion of Young Academics) and Aniane Semeraro (Graduate Centre) will talk about the problem of precarious employment conditions under the WissZeitVG. Katrina Jordan (Head of Communication) will be the moderator.

We hope to see a large number of participants! Requests to speak from the audience are of course possible and welcome. Please promote the event, also to students, who are also affected by the issue: Poor working conditions for teachers also affect the quality of study conditions.

In addition, you can participate in the action week by drawing attention to it in your courses. Attached you will find a short presentation of the Action Alliance, which also refers to our panel discussion.

Further information and materials can be found on the website of the Network for Good Work in Science: mittelbau.net/aktionswochewissenschaft-deu/

Best regards

Your Academic Staff Council