An interim change of guard at the Works Council: Amarins Thiecke is taking over as chair from Ezra Delahaije, who has found a job outside Radboud University.

Why are you the new chairwoman?

‘Ezra (Delahaije, the previous chair, ed.) was in the faction of FNV, just like me. When he announced his intent to departure, we, the other faction members, looked to each other because it’s important we are also represented in the board of the Works Council. We then decided I would fill the position until the 1^st of September. After that we’ll assess the situation again.’

‘I find it very important that employee participation is taken seriously. As employees, we need to think along about which we as a university are going. Furthermore, I like to keep things running smoothly. Personally, I also find it important to represent supporting personnel – because that doesn’t always happen like it should.’

What is your role as the Works Council?

‘These last years have worked differently than the years before. Before, we worked very reactively; we looked at what the Executive Board brought to the table and that is what we went to work with. Now we plan more things independently and we keep working on the main goals. We keep less busy with the smaller details.’

Can you give an example?

‘Take the discussion about proctoring. At first, the board only let us have a say in which condition this form of online surveillance would be used in during exams. We said: no, we want to have a say in its usage. Is proctoring desirable?’

What are currently the most important points of discussion in the participation council?

‘It’s still unclear when the pandemic will be over. What we are going to do with our offices when it is over is an important question. Will we all work in open-plan offices? The university doesn’t even dare to talk about that. If we are going to work in a more hybrid form, the goal has to be to look at what is best for the person and team in question.’

Do you have any personal key points?

‘In the most recent collective labour agreement of the universities it was decided that the minimum wage in the lowest scales would go up to 14 euros per hour. I want to find out if that is also the case for outsourced services, such as cleaners. Everyone who works here should profit from that raise.’

What does your own job at the university entail?

‘I started out as a legal expert. For years, I worked at the Centre for Professional Legal Education (CPO). There, I started to get more invested in the appliance of IT and digital learning environments. Last year I made the switch to Radboud Services: I work there now as a contract manager. I advise on the contracts with external IT parties, such as Brightspace.’