31 January 2025

On Tuesday 4 and Wednesday 5 February, WOinActie and the trade unions are organising joint action meetings for Leiden University and ask as many colleagues as possible to attend – even if you are not a member of a trade union. The purpose of the meetings is to discuss the current situation regarding the national budget cuts and new protests.

Future of higher education

At this time it is very important that we remain connected and stand together to support the future of higher education. The organisers will give an update on the vote in the House of Representatives in February and the Spring Memorandum in April, when the government will announce its new plans for next year’s budget. The protests held last year resulted in a substantial reduction in the cuts (late graduation fine and research cuts), but we are still facing enormous cuts due to the Balanced Internationalisation Act (WIB). These will have drastic consequences if the Act goes ahead. There are also serious concerns about the new budget cuts for next year, which the government may possibly propose.

Participate in the on campus or online meetings

WOinActie and the trade unions emphasise that it is crucial for us to sustain our protests and broaden our support base in the entire education sector and public sector as much as possible. The organisers hope that as many colleagues as possible from all faculties and other organisational units will attend on Tuesday and Wednesday. The meetings can be attended both on campus and online. The organisers’ call to attend is explicitly addressed to both academic staff and support staff.

The action meetings will take place on:

• Tuesday 4 February at 15.00 - 17.00 in Lipsius, room 003 (Leiden) – you can also attend this meeting via Teams.
• Wednesday 5 February at 12.00 - 14.00 in Wijnhaven, room 3.46 (The Hague) – you can also attend this meeting via Teams.