The petition, which has been signed by more than 1,900 people, calls attention to the position of junior lecturers within the university. According to the initiators, they fulfil a structural and essential role in education but work on temporary contracts without sufficient security or prospects.

‘The work you do is essential to our university, and precisely for that reason we must carefully consider how we can best organise career prospects and development,’ Verbeek stated.

Flexible personnel policy

Verbeek accepted the petition and expressed his acknowledgement of the commitment of the lecturers. ‘The work you do is of great value and is essential to our university,’ said the rector. At the same time, he emphasised that the university must handle the design of its personnel policy with care. Like other organisations, the UvA faces fluctuations in workload and resources. That is why a certain flexible staffing margin is needed to organise education and research properly and sustainably. ‘The D4 position is intended as a starter role, with room for development and preparation for the next step. That also requires an honest explanation of what is and is not possible.’

The rector also acknowledged the concerns about workload and uncertainty. ‘We take these signals seriously. We want to support lecturers as best as we can; through development time and career guidance, for example.’

Executive Board and deans in discussion

In recent years, steps have been taken to improve the position of lecturers. When junior lecturers raised the alarm five years ago, a substantial catch-up effort was initiated. This has led to more than 250 lecturers moving on to a permanent appointment since 2021. Since then, that progress has been slower. Vacancies do not become available without limit and depend on student numbers and available resources.

At present, the Executive Board and the deans are once again in discussion with the formal consultation partners: the representative bodies and the local trade unions. In line with the principles of Erkennen en Waarderen (Recognition and Rewards), the contour policy document will be converted into lecturer policy in 2026. The previously formulated principles will be maintained and further elaborated where necessary, for example in the area of career prospects and career opportunities.

The university will carefully study the petition in the coming period. ‘We will present a substantive response, in which we will also take into account the discussions that are being held nationally and within the UvA with representative bodies and trade unions on the further development of lecturer policy,’ Verbeek said.