PNN is shocked and disappointed by the one-sided decision from the board of directors of the University of Groningen (UG) to not increase the scholarship according to their contract with bursary PhD students, but rather by only 4% this year.
This decision is unjustifiable to bursary PhD students, who already earn less than their employee PhD colleagues. A decision that affects their livelihood should not be taken lightly. Article 7 of the “Conditions of PhD Scholarship Programme at the UG”, which is the foundation of the bursary contract, stipulates clearly that the scholarship is annually adjusted according to the CBS consumer price index (CPI). The CPI was 9.6% in April 2022. We are particularly disappointed by the response of the UG, justifying the reduction to 4% by aligning it to the CAO agreement, while bursary PhD students have been excluded from all benefits from the CAO agreements.
We wholeheartedly support the Groninger Interest Network’s plea to follow the previously agreed adjustment according to the CPI. PNN joins GRIN’s request to the UG’s Board of Directors to immediately correct the monthly stipend to the contractually agreed increase of 9,6%.
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