Negotiations for the new agreement started in November 2016 and have involved Ida Juul, Camilla Skovbjerg Paldam, Marie Vejrup Nielsen, Bjarke Paarup, Lone Iversen and Johnny Laursen. The joint goal was to draw up an agreement ensuring uniform terms and conditions for all academic staff at the faculty within a financially sustainable framework.

“The negotiations went very well, with the focus being placed on ensuring as much uniformity as possible across the entire faculty. Along the way we realised how dynamic the development of the faculty is, so we’ve agreed to keep a close eye on these developments moving forward. I’m delighted that we have achieved such a good agreement,” says dean Johnny Laursen.

Marie Vejrup Nielsen, who is the joint union representative for the faculty, is also satisfied with the agreement. She is convinced that it will provide a clear framework for academic staff:

“There have been a number of organisational changes since the previous agreement, and the VIP-O-MATIC system has been introduced as well. So it was vital to reach a new agreement to suit the faculty as it stands today. We’ve also managed to describe some of the forms of teaching and exams which were not covered by the previous agreement. This should help ensure uniform conditions across the faculty. The situation for staff involved in assessing applicants for new appointments has also been improved. The most important thing is that all our staff and managers now have an agreement that can be used to create a more balanced working situation and ensure that they have time for research,” says Vejrup Nielsen, who is also an associate professor at the Department of the Study of Religion.

Special focus on portfolio exams

The agreement applies until 1 January 2022. The parties have agreed to carry out a mid-term review in the late summer of 2020, and have already arranged to focus in particular on portfolio exams, joint supervision and e-learning.

Thanks to both staff and managers

The negotiations have been ongoing for more than a year, with both sides giving high priority to making decisions on a well-informed basis.

“We have analysed all possible angles, gaining far greater understanding of our overall practice and the diverse approaches adopted by different subject environments. I’d like to thank everyone who has given us their input and suggestions, as well as all the staff and managers involved in providing a sound statistical basis for the negotiations,” concludes Johnny Laursen.

FACTS: 

Winter exams 2017/2018 will be conducted using the previous norm – including re-examinations, complaints etc. Teaching in the spring of 2018 will be conducted using the new norm.

Here are some of the changes introduced by the new agreement:

• More time for chairs and members of assessment committees when appointing academic staff at all levels
• Definitions of all forms of exams and supervision, which will change when teaching practices at the faculty change
• Joint norms for the time allocated for assessing executive Master’s assignments
• Increased norms for cases involving plagiarism, complaints and appeals

Read the whole agreement here (in Danish - English translation will follow soon)