Seniority rule change

One of our biggest cases last year recently had a conclusion.
Posted 10th June the headline of this article from forskning.no reads

Amendment makes it easier for PhD-candidates and post-docs to get jobs.

 

This is unfortunately the outcome we advocated against as it opens for more temporary employment. The amendment is portrayed as only positive, but they fail to mention post-doc positions. Lina Ingeborgrud, the new president of DION, has issued a statement to universitetsavisa.no available here, where she expresses concern about increasing use temporary employment and PhD-candidates position as an employee.

Against the unions wishes the majority of the task-force voted for the amendment, resulting in periods of pure research no longer counting towards seniority. The proposal is still listed as pending on the government webpage.

Context: Normally 4 years of temporary employment triggers job protection, which basically means a permanent position. An exception to this rule are so-called “fixed term” positions like a post-doc position, which is the usual academic advancement after a PhD.