04.10.2015, 23:05

[Deutsche Version in separater Nachricht]

+++ Federal Government sends draft for amendment of the science employment act to Bundesrat ++ Letter to the Bundesrat +++

Dear supporter of the online-Petition „Perspektive statt Befristung“,

as of Septembre 4, the Federal Government has sent its draft for the science employment act's amendment to the Bundesrat („Federal Council“, representing the Federal States): www.bundesrat.de/SharedDocs/drucksachen/2015/0301-0400/395-15.html. The Bundesrat will dispute it during its next plenary session (octobre 16).

Three main points are:
The exemption of the non-scientific staff from the science employment act.
The statement that a fixed-term contract - if funded from the institution's budget - has to „serve the personal scientific/artistic qualification“, where the 12-years-rule still applies.
In the case of third-party funding, the duration of the contract shall correspond to the duration of the funding period, no further restrictions apply.

Further points touch the „refinement“ of the 12-years-rule without taking the step of getting rid of it.

Despite positive aspects such as the exemption of the non-scientific staff and the will to avoid ultra-short term contracts, the draft is unlikely to resolve the core problem of the scientific/artistic staff resulting from the systematiic lack of opportunities for permanent employment.

The percentage of fixed-term employments remains unregulated and the 12-years rule still applies, despite many of your online comments and the results of the online study. The individual scientist may end up discussing with his/her employer (or sueing the employer) whether a specific position is a qualifying one, while facing the threat of being not employed or the contract not being renewed.

Up to this day, our petition and the results of its subsequent study still have not been commented upon by the Federal Government, and they are not addressed in the present draft. The draft does not impose a limit on the percentage of fixed-term employment, and it does not contain any rules to ensure transparency concerning the institutional fixed-term/permanent employment figures.

These issues have been pointed out in a letter sent to the presidents of the Bundesrat and the Bundestag (www.perspektive-statt-befristung.de/Perspektive_statt_Befristung_Bundesrat.pdf).

You can follow the discussion on octobre 16 in a livestream (or download it later) to check, if the Bundesrat responds to our petition: www.bundesrat.de/SharedDocs/termine/DE/plenum/2015/2015-10-16.html.

Have a wonderful week,
warm regards
Sebastian Raupach