Enlarge image

Student in a library: The discussion about fixed term contracts and permanent precariat in science is not yet pacified

Photo: Tom Werner / Digital Vision / Getty Images

Federal Education Minister Bettina Stark-Watzinger (FDP) can check off another item from her to-do list for this legislative period: After months of back and forth, the federal government has decided on the controversial new edition of the Science Temporary Contract Act (WisszeitVG). “With the reform we are making a significant contribution to improving working conditions in science,” said Stark-Watzinger. Attractive working conditions in science are a decisive factor in “attracting talented young people to science and research in the competition for the brightest minds.”

However, experts doubt that this will end the discussion about fixed term contracts and permanent precariat in science. A heated debate has been going on since the summer of 2021. There was a widespread protest online under the slogan #ichbinhanna. Researchers reported fears for the future, dependencies and constant exhaustion - but also their passion for science.

The name of the movement goes back to a video that the Federal Ministry of Education and Research published on its homepage. In the film, a comic scientist named Hanna, full of clichés with stringy hair, a lab coat and glasses, explains why it is completely logical and sensible to limit employment contracts in science: it promotes innovation. After a storm of indignation, the ministry deleted the clip - but the debate remained. Later, a solidarity movement emerged among professors: #profsfuerhanna.

We answer the most important questions about the amendment.

What is the reform about?

In 2020, 81 percent of scientists in Germany were employed on a temporary basis, and many work part-time, often involuntarily. Some of these contracts only run for a few months. Those affected reported that it was difficult to plan a career or start a family.

Anyone who works under these conditions has to move regularly or commute long distances across the country, said #ichbinhanna co-founder Sebastian Kubon in an interview. "There's also the psychological strain: Anyone who constantly has to prove themselves because the employment contract is only valid for six months is under stress and constant pressure."

When she took office in December 2021, Stark-Watzinger promised to push forward an amendment to the law and improve working conditions in science.

What should change?

The reform aims to introduce minimum contract periods and redefine the limits on how often young scientists can accept a fixed-term contract. In principle, the Federal Ministry of Education believes that time limits make sense so that young researchers can move up and there is a certain fluctuation in the system.

There should be more reliability

for

student employees .

You may only be offered contracts with a term of at least one year. According to the ministry, contracts have so far run for an average of almost six months and have been repeatedly extended. A total of six years of temporary employment was permitted. This should now be increased to eight years so that students who exceed the standard period of study do not have to look for a new part-time job at the end of their studies.

After completing your studies, the first

employment contract before obtaining your doctorate

must have a term of at least three years.

After completing your doctorate in the so-called

post-doc phase,

the employment contract should run for at least two years. And there is a new limit for the duration of a fixed-term employment relationship, the so-called 4+2 model. Postdocs should therefore be allowed to be employed on a fixed-term basis for a maximum of four years. It's been six years so far. A further two years should then only be permitted with a binding commitment for a subsequent permanent position. Within these two years, jointly defined research goals must be achieved.

Why did it take so long to develop the novella?

The dispute arose mainly over the question of how long and under what conditions employment contracts may be limited after completing a doctorate. During this time, the so-called postdocs are supposed to research their own projects in order to be recommended for a professorship.

A first draft from March 2023 received harsh criticism: experts described the proposals from Berlin as a “worse improvement,” and the #ichbinhanna movement also caused another storm. The ministry then transported the paper “back to the assembly hall” after just 52 hours, as a state secretary wrote on Twitter.

Since then, various committees have met with experts, representatives of trade unions, university associations and research institutions. There were also heated arguments within the traffic light coalition. In June 2023, shortly before the parliamentary summer break, the BMBF presented a draft bill. Stark-Watzinger expressly emphasized that this was solely a draft from the FDP-led ministry and not a version that was the consensus within the traffic light - which is unusual.

State Secretary Jens Brandenburg said at the time that it had been possible to find a “good balance between the positions”. At the same time, Stark-Watzinger made it clear that the amendment does not solve other central problems in the working environment of science: "The Science Temporary Contract Act does not create permanent positions and does not establish a modern leadership culture in universities." The version that has now been passed is largely identical to the draft bill.

What criticism is there?

A broad alliance of trade unions, works councils and student representatives criticizes the draft law as a “maximum disappointment after months of standstill in the Science Temporary Contract Act”. Only the planned minimum contract terms are going in the right direction, but are still too short. Students would have to have planning security for at least two years and contracts for doctoral students would have to correspond to the actual doctoral periods.

The alliance sharply criticizes the planned working conditions for postdocs. A blanket time limit is not appropriate due to the qualifications. The proposed regulation is harmful to postdocs "who rush from one contract to another in the rush hour of life under the greatest competitive pressure," says the joint statement from, among others, the German Federation of Trade Unions, Ver.di and the general works councils of the Fraunhofer and Max Planck Groups. Societies. They demand permanent employment after completing their doctorate or a binding commitment to a fixed-term contract.

In addition, the employment sector must be fully opened up to collective agreements. The Science Temporary Contract Act sets strict limits on collective agreements. “As the draft is now available, it must not receive approval in parliament,” says the alliance’s statement.

High-ranking scientists, such as the President of the TU Berlin, also criticized the amendment on Twitter.

There is also still criticism within the coalition. The Green education expert Laura Kraft explains that there is a need for improvement “on key points regarding the postdoc phase,” which she still wants to achieve in the parliamentary process. SPD education expert Carolin Wagner also called for more planning security. The law must also “finally allow different collective agreements to be made if employers and employees agree on them.” The SPD will campaign for improvements in the Bundestag.

What's next?

After the cabinet decision, the law still has to go through the Bundestag and Bundesrat, which is likely to take several weeks. It does not require approval in the Federal Council. Dates for the deliberations in parliament and the state chamber have not yet been set. The law should only come into force six months after it has been passed and announced in the Federal Law Gazette, so that universities can adapt to it. Current contracts will also remain unaffected by the new regulations, it is said.

With material from dpa/AFP