University Events Calendar

The Wissenschaftszeitvertragsgesetz (WissZVG - German Act on Temporary Scientific Contracts) has a major impact on working conditions in German academia: it contains special regulations on fixed-term contracts that allow universities and other research institutions to employ academic staff on a fixed-term basis for a period of currently 12 years. For employees, this means planning uncertainty, extreme pressure in research and teaching, and often the end of a career after years of academic work and qualification.

This year, the WissZVG is to be reformed and discussions are in full swing. A planned shortening of the post-doc phase is now off the table for the time being after protest from the academic community, and work on reforming the law continues. Other important points, however, such as a definition of the concept of qualification, have already been shelved.

Many voices have been present in the discourse, but those of the academic Mittelbau have rarely been heard. The Mittelbauinitiative of the fakulty III want to change that and make their working conditions visible today in a poster campaign in front of the EUF Audimax on 17th May 2023! Together with the Union for Education and Science (GEW), we will inform about the current working and employment conditions and enter into dialogue with the university public. For all those interested, there will be a wheel of fortune with questions and answers on the topic of working conditions of the academic mid-level staff with small prizes.