UG employees will go on strike on Tuesday, 18 March, against the looming multi-million euro budget cuts to universities. Groningen is the eighth university to join the national relay strike.
The date was decided earlier this week during a meeting of labour unions attended by around 150 people. It is still unclear how the strike will take shape, as further discussions are ongoing.
Various ideas have been discussed, such as starting the strike within a few faculties and then holding a central gathering in the city centre in the afternoon.
Actions
In December, labour unions sent an ultimatum to education minister Eppo Bruins, demanding the budget cuts be revoked and requesting a response by 10 January.
The minister only responded after the deadline, prompting the unions to announce further action. The relay strike, in which universities take turns ceasing work, is the first step in what could be a series of actions.
Upper House debate
The UG strike is expected to coincide with the day the Dutch Upper House votes on the 2026 budget, where the first effects of the higher education budget cuts will be visible.
The Upper House will start debating the budget the week before that. The relay strike will begin in Leiden (10 March), followed by Utrecht (11 March) and Nijmegen (13 March).
Before UG’s turn, the University of Amsterdam will strike on 17 March. After UG, Maastricht, the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, and Tilburg will follow on 20 March, 27 March, and 10 April, respectively.
UG’s support
It is unclear whether UG’s board of directors supports the strike. In a letter to the unions on 4 February, the board stated it supports the strike’s objectives but not if it disrupts the ‘primary processes’ (education and research).
‘You are not expressing unconditional support for a strike’, said council member Gerard Ritsema van Eck with the science faction during Thursday’s university council meeting. ‘Can striking university employees count on your support?’
According to UG president Jouke de Vries, the board has made it clear that it also opposes the budget cuts. ‘But there are also people who still want to teach or conduct research that day. And employees have the right to strike—they don’t need permission for that.’