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Good science requires good working conditions!

Towards a reform of staffing structures and career paths in higher education

The Senate List Doctoral Candidates and GEW/ver.di

The Doctoral Candidates and GEW/ver.di Senate List brings together academics from many departments and institutions, colleagues in fixed-term research positions as well as those on permanent contracts, union members of GEW and ver.di as well as colleagues who are not union members. For years, our list has been actively involved in the university’s governing bodies, campaigning for good working conditions, a democratic university and research that fulfils its social responsibilities.  In the Senate – the only democratic representative body at university level, though one whose powers were further curtailed in 2004 – we are campaigning for the advancement of early-career researchers, gender equality, professional development opportunities, and the chance to work together democratically on shaping the university’s future, rather than muddling through from one supposed constraint to the next. Contacts with other unionists, with academics on staff councils ("Personalrat") and at other universities make our work easier. This way, we stay informed and can take joint action where appropriate.

Anyone interested in current issues at the university and in serving on its committees is welcome to attend one of our regular meetings. These take place remotely on Mondays at 2 pm, prior to each Senate meeting. You can contact us here:

Strengthening Doctoral Candidates and PostDocs

The "mid-level academic staff" (in German "Mittelbau") - Doctoral Candidates and PostDocs - carry out around 80 per cent of research and 60 per cent of teaching, making them among the university’s most important contributors. Unfortunately, this is often not recognised: their working conditions are characterised by precariousness, external control and fixed-term contracts; a steadily deteriorating job market and poor career prospects usually define their day-to-day lives. Mid-level academic staff are often not consulted when decisions are made – even when they are directly affected. Unions have long been calling for better working conditions and a staffing structure and level of resources at universities that is commensurate with the workload. We are working to address local issues through our involvement in the Senate, committees and departmental councils.

This is our election manifesto for the Senate in 2026:

  • 1.     Reducing dependency in the doctoral phase!

    Doctoral Candidates are dependent on their supervisor, who provides guidance on content, assesses the thesis, but also decides on the continuation of the employment relationship. To alleviate this intense dependency, we advocate for an initial one-hour meeting with a supervisory team (supervisor + two professors), with this format to be repeated annually thereafter. The current status of the PhD is discussed therein, and the next steps are to be determined jointly, as is customary in research training groups. This ensures that different perspectives are incorporated into project planning, and responsibilities as well as collaborations are clarified at an early stage.

  • 2.     Structured onboarding for new staff!

    The onboarding of new staff at our university has thus far been very inconsistent. In the worst-case scenario, new colleagues are left entirely to their own devices in navigating the confusing administrative jungle. It doesn’t have to be that way! We are therefore committed to organising a Welcome Week lasting several days twice a year for new research staff, Doctoral Candidates and postdocs. A quick introduction to IT systems, application procedures, employment rights and further training opportunities creates a positive welcoming culture!

  • 3. Together for academic freedom!

    Academic freedom, which is protected under the Basic Law, has come under increasing attack from various quarters in recent years. We are calling on Philipps University of Marburg to systematically document how it, as an institution, and its members are being attacked – and how it can protect itself and its members against such attacks. At the same time, we demand that the university resolutely supports colleagues who are attacked because of their academic work – whether via email, on social media or verbally – and ensures they have the backing and solidarity of the entire university, rather than leaving them to face public pressure alone. 

  • 4. Increase the proportion of permanent staff and ensure fair opportunities for contract extensions!

    In the 2024 Hesse collective bargaining round, we as unions actively and successfully campaigned for more permanent positions. These permanent positions must be funded by the Hessian state and actually established by the universities. We are campaigning for more permanent positions in research and teaching and for automatic contract extensions (for childcare and caregiving responsibilities).

    The contract terms for doctoral candidates, which remain too short to cover the actual duration of a PhD (an average of 5.7 years excluding medicine and health sciences), must be adjusted. It is also important to us to make it easier for the large group of research assistants in training phases to participate in committees. Representing one’s own interests should not be structurally hindered! That is why we want to work towards the introduction of time-compensation models; we have submitted a motion to this effect to the Senate and are currently in discussions with the President.

  • 5.  65% E13 – for all Doctoral Candidates and in every department!

    We are campaigning for the consistent implementation of the German Research Foundation’s (DFG) salary standards for all doctoral candidates: a minimum contract volume of 65% (E13 TV-H/L) for doctoral candidates in ALL departments, from History to Computer Science. Naturally, departments may nonetheless continue to offer a higher contract volume to attract talent!

    PhD scholarships are already at a disadvantage due to inadequate protection against unemployment and the need for self-insurance with the health insurance fund, which is why employment through the university is always preferable. To ensure protection against poverty, the monthly grant should correspond to the net salary of Doctoral Candidates on a 65% E13 TV-H/L contract at level 1: €2,000.

  • 6.     Assign all Doctoral Candidates to a single status group! 

    Together with the Doctoral Candidates Representation, we began working on standardising the status group assignment for Doctoral Candidates during the last term of office. To this end, we sought contact with other universities and Doctoral Candidates Council to discuss the implementation, and we raised this issue during the amendment of the Hessian Higher Education Act (HessHG). This process is to be continued to enable uniform democratic representation in university bodies for all doctoral candidates at Philipps University of Marburg as well. Until then, we as the Senate List will continue offering all doctoral candidates the opportunity to participate in our Senate work.

  • 8.     Take teaching seriously!

    High-quality teaching takes time – and that time must be factored into the schedule! Anyone with no teaching experience who is immediately required to supervise a large number of students will inevitably have to compromise on the quality of their teaching or their own research. We are therefore campaigning for better support, particularly for new lecturers, as well as improved student-to-tutor ratios in courses.

  • 9.     Make universities truly family-friendly!

    Balancing an academic career with care responsibilities remains a major challenge. Support structures and the terms of employment contracts do not yet reflect the realities of life for staff with children or relatives in need of care. We are examining how the relevant statutes and regulations affect the compatibility of care responsibilities with an academic career and are committed to their ongoing improvement. Specifically, we demand that the Philipps University of Marburg automate the family policy component of the WissZeitVG (Section 2(1) sentence 4): in the case of caring for children under the age of 18, the contract should be extended by two years per child as a matter of course, without the need for a separate application.

  • 10.    Advance sustainable transport, boost cycling!

    The situation for cyclists at the Philipps University, particularly on the Lahnberge, is appalling. We are therefore committed to supporting cycling at the university and call for better infrastructure for staff and students that commute by bicycle! This includes modern and sufficient covered parking facilities in front of all university buildings, a safe network of cycle paths through the city and up the Lahnberge hills, washing and changing facilities at the workplace, the reintroduction of the “bike bus”, and straightforward financial support for the purchase of bicycles used for work purposes.

  • 11.     Further develop digital infrastructure and ensure access to hardware!

    Digital course offerings must be further developed and should complement face-to-face teaching in a meaningful way – not least to facilitate international exchange with partner universities. Digital formats also offer a great deal of flexibility, particularly for lecturers and students with CARE commitments or part-time jobs.  With the Academic Cloud, the UMR offers secure access to generative AI models for all members of the university; however, this needs to be communicated more widely, and its use in research and teaching requires transparent rules. What is, unfortunately, not always available to our research staff, but essential for the job as a knowledge worker: a workstation with a networked computer or laptop. A frequently cited reason given by the group leadership: the current hardware framework agreement offers poor value for money and urgently needs to be renegotiated! Ultimately, personal devices always pose a security risk.