"For the University of Passau, collective bargaining autonomy and the right to strike are protected by the constitution and form an important part of our social and democratic coexistence. We respect the right of the trade union ver.di and its members to defend their legitimate interests through industrial action within the framework of these negotiations. The University of Passau is in an ongoing and constructive dialogue with both the strike committee and the Staff Council. We value this dialogue and open communication, which gives us the opportunity better to understand the concerns and worries of our employees and to work together to find solutions.
We would like to emphasise that our aim is to maintain basic operations during the strike day, especially in the areas of research and teaching. We are aware that this is a challenging situation for everyone and are doing everything we can to minimise the impact on students and the operation of the University.
The University of Passau is committed to fair and respectful cooperation and hopes that a swift agreement can be reached as part of the ongoing collective bargaining process."
What does that mean for you as students?
Ver.di's strike call is directed at those employed under a collective bargaining agreement, trainees, interns, student employees/assistants and "dual" students ("Dualstudierende", TVdS-L).
The trade union Gewerkschaft für Erziehung und Wissenschaft (GEW) has also issued a call.
If you wish to take part in the strike as a student employee, you are not obliged to report your participation in the strike to the University and/or your superiors. The following applies to time recording: Strikers are not obliged to log their time. Those not coming in to work will have their regularly agreed working time for the day (“Sollarbeitszeit”) reduced; however, please note that this will reduce their monthly pay accordingly.
If you wish to work as usual on this day, you are also free to do so.
Your lecturers will inform you of any changes to the teaching schedule.
Overall, it is to be expected that the University's services and facilities will not be operating as usual on 23 November. Therefore, if possible, please schedule any important appointments for another day of the week.
The University Library will ensure that all its reading rooms remain open at least for the following times: Central Library reading room 8:00 to 18:00, all other reading rooms 8:00 to 16:00.
Please note that the strike also includes the employees of the Student Services Association (Studentenwerk), which means that the refectory and all cafeterias will be closed this Thursday. The Student Services Association has published a news item on its website [German content] informing you that other services of the Student Services Association will be affected by the strike action as well, such as the Accommodation/Info Point (Wohnen/Infopunkt), Cultural Promotions Office (Kulturförderung), the advisory sections and the BaFöG office (Amt für Ausbildungsförderung).