The WU development plan (Entwicklungsplan), which sets out the strategic orientation of the university for the coming years, is currently being prepared and discussed. Central to this plan is how the personnel structure of the university will look in the future, as well as more generally how the WU conceptualizes its own responsibilities as an employer. The Betriebsrat currently seeks to engage in constructive dialogue with the university management about a suitably future-oriented personnel structure (see

WU Employment Strategy: An Overview

 
An innovative feature of this is the e-consultation process taking place from the middle of May until the beginning of June. This will allow every member of WU the possibility to comment on the different sections of the development plan, as well as providing the possibility to highlight topics that are seen as important and relevant. On the other hand, it will also allow WU staff to make critical points where appropriate. The Betriebsrat encourages broad participation in public commenting, and is looking forward to analyzing the results of this process.

Alongside the ongoing debate surrounding the development plan, we are currently involved in the following discussions on:

• The handling of future tenure track positions called either QV- or EV-posts. - There are important differences between QV (Qualifizierungsvereinbarungen, or qualification agreements) and EV (Entwicklungsvereinbarungen, or development agreements) employment contracts, not least in their different pay structures (including overpay). The nature of these agreements will affect post-docs in their differing requirements for completing the post-doctoral thesis and subsequently their future employment possibilities.

• Data protection regulations which are an ongoing issue for the Betriebsrat. - As WU is a modern organization where many processes are based on operational IT systems, we are constantly reviewing the relevant regulations. It is our responsibility to scrutinise what impact any new system has on staff member’s rights. The forthcoming changes to EU legislation on data protection will force us to review our current agreements.

• The English-track bachelor’s degree program. -The details for this program are still being discussed but should be available by June. Changes and adaptation of curricula always have an impact on teaching staff, and are therefore of concern to the Betriebsrat, which will react accordingly once further details are known.

• The launch of a project on workplace health and burn-out prevention at WU. - High levels of exhaustion and stress are common among academic staff, which is why the Betriebsrat has long supported such an initiative. Managing employee health is also increasingly important for employers who are keen to see themselves as providers of an attractive working environment.

The Arbeiterkammer (Chamber of Labor) will be holding a workshop on workplace health and burn-out prevention next month:

Where: AK Bildungszentrum, Großer Saal, Theresianumgasse 16-18, 1040 Wien

When: June 1^st, 2017 from 9:30—13:00

Please find more information here.

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