Reaction of the university management to the list of signatures

In July, we submitted our signatures for a better personnel development concept to the university management. In response, the university management sent us a letter addressed to all signatories. In it, the university management expresses understanding for our concerns, but essentially refers to financial problems that can only be solved politically.

In our reply, we point out that the lack of reliability makes the university less attractive as an employer. We therefore emphasize that we consider the wage level (classification), workload reduction and the integration of security and
cleaning staff, as well as student assistants, into the collective agreement with the state of Hesse to be essential for a good and attractive employment relationship. Furthermore, not all of the problems mentioned can be solved with more money. For example, many positions can already be made permanent without affecting the budget.

In our letter, we also remind the university management that unpaid overtime, inappropriate grading and high work intensification cannot simply be accepted by them as the employer. It bears responsibility for its staff, which should also be reflected in a concrete plan to improve the situation. The personnel development process should therefore be made more transparent and the workforce should be included in the discussion.