actionuni

Together with ACIDUL, the association of mid-level staff and doctoral students at the University of Lausanne, and the Public Services Union, we are organising a meeting with @thomasporcher.bsky.social, economist and author, to present his latest book.

The book denounces the growing precariousness of researchers in France, and describes its impact on research and teaching. The presentation will be followed by a discussion on the parallels between the situation in Switzerland and France, its causes and possible solutions.

We have a fresh new look! If you spot our new logo out in the wild, don’t worry – your eyes aren’t playing tricks on you! We have given ourselves a much-needed makeover with a brand-new logo and corporate identity.

Our delegate to Eurodoc, recently represented us at one of Eurodoc’s quarterly meetings for national organizations across Europe. Key issues discussed included representational rights and participation in academic governance, as well as the need for a fair minimum salary for doctoral candidates.

Actionuni strongly supports the right of ECRs to fair remuneration aligned with their qualifications, and to self-representation and active participation in academic decision-making.

Actionuni has responded to the consultation on the federal government's austerity measures. We strongly reject these unfair and counterproductive cuts, which threaten the Swiss higher education and research system.

If we do not push back, these unfair cuts will fall entirely on the precarious mid-level staff and students. See actionuni's response on our website (German & French): actionuni.ch.

Actionuni has responded to the consultation on the federal government's austerity measures. We strongly reject these unfair and counterproductive cuts, which threaten the Swiss higher education and research system.

Swiss universities need to establish stable positions for intermediate staff that create working conditions where victims of sexual harassment can safely file complaints without risking their academic futures. 1/2

The International Women's Day is coming! Progress toward gender equality in academia remains slow. At the current pace, meaningful change could still take decades. Structural barriers, biases, and slow institutional reforms continue to hinder progress. It’s time for sustained commitment and action.

🚨 URGENT: Swiss research and education faces unprecedented budget threats. Today, actionuni and 12 mid-level academic staff associations across Switzerland released a joint statement opposing the drastic federal budget cuts threatening our institutions. 1/7

We join our voices with swissuniversities, SNSF, the Swiss Academies of Arts and Sciences, the ETH Board, and Innosuisse in calling for sustainable funding solutions that protect our academic institutions. 6/7

🚨 URGENT: Swiss research and education faces unprecedented budget threats. Today, actionuni and 12 mid-level academic staff associations across Switzerland released a joint statement opposing the drastic federal budget cuts threatening our institutions. 1/7

Mid-level academic staff will be disproportionately affected, with over 80% already facing job insecurity through fixed-term contracts. These cuts jeopardize the limited progress recently achieved through national efforts to improve the working conditions. 4/7

🚨 URGENT: Swiss research and education faces unprecedented budget threats. Today, actionuni and 12 mid-level academic staff associations across Switzerland released a joint statement opposing the drastic federal budget cuts threatening our institutions. 1/7

These proposed cuts would put over 700 SNSF research projects at risk and threaten 2,000 research positions. The ETH Domain's reserves would be reduced by 1 billion CHF by 2028, making flexible and long-term research investment nearly impossible 2/7

📢 Today is SHK Day! Our representative, Neele Heiser, is on her way to Bern to advocate for better working conditions for mid-level academic staff. 🏛️ 🤝 ⚖️ 📜

Mid-level academic staff are essential to research and teaching, yet they often face uncertain career paths and precarious contracts. Their voices must be heard to create a fairer, more sustainable academic system!

📢 Today is SHK Day! Our representative, Neele Heiser, is on her way to Bern to advocate for better working conditions for mid-level academic staff. 🏛️ 🤝 ⚖️ 📜

🏛️ The Schweizerische Hochschulkonferenz (SHK) is the key decision-making body for higher education in Switzerland, bringing together all major stakeholders.

Federal Council confirmed today: the plans for federal budget cuts of ~500M/year will proceed. These cuts threaten the EPH, SNSF (affecting PhD candidates, postdocs, Ambizione), and the teaching quality & student mobility, among others.