The management report, containing figures up to and including August, shows no major deviations in the overall financial picture compared to the previous report, which covered figures up to and including April. While UT originally budgeted for a surplus of 5 million euros, the expected result remains around 17 million euros.
‘Current context calls for realism’
Several financial shifts have taken place beneath the surface over the past few months. UT expects a higher government contribution and increased income from contract work and other third-party activities. At the same time, the university will not receive full compensation for salary and price increases arising from the new collective labour agreement. As a result, while more than 10 million euros is added in one area, it is offset elsewhere.
The faculties are particularly posting surpluses. The support service departments, by contrast, continue to struggle to break even. They were already facing a cost-cutting target, which has become even more difficult to meet due to the lack of full compensation for salary and price increases.
In its reflection, the Executive Board is positive about both the ‘improvement of financial insights and forecasts’ and the higher external income. However, it also states that the ‘current context calls for realism’. ‘It remains uncertain how stable the national government will be in the coming period and what consequences this may have for the policies and the financial and substantive frameworks within which we operate.’
Sickness absence requires ‘particular attention’
Although the financial picture is currently relatively stable, UT is likely to be more concerned about rising sickness absence. According to the management report, the issue requires ‘particular attention’. Over the course of a year, the absence rate increased from 3.8 per cent to 4.5 per cent. ‘Although this is in line with the national trend, the increase is an important signal for the Executive Board. The figures require us to continue looking critically at workload, change fatigue, and the way we organise our institution,’ the board states.
Long-term sick leave, in particular, has increased. ‘In addition, links are being made in various parts of the organisation with high workload, reorganisations, or prolonged uncertainty,’ the report notes. At the faculties of S&T and ITC, which are undergoing reorganisations, ‘change pressure and workload’ are cited as contributing factors. The Centre for Educational Support (CES) is dealing with an absence rate of around 11 per cent, ‘combined with a high workload’.
Preventable absence
Occupational health service De Bedrijfspoli has ‘for some time reported a substantial share of psychologically work-related absence within overall sickness absence, where work plays a major role’. According to the service, this type of absence is at least partly within the university’s influence. A similar conclusion was recently reached by the Dutch Labour Inspectorate, which issued UT with three warnings.
The management report does not specify any concrete measures to reduce workload. However, UT Vice-President Machteld Roos recently told the University Council that an action plan is currently being developed.
