News from the works councils (September 2023)
Who represents your institute in the Central Works Council of NWO (COR NWO) and the Group Works Council of NWO-I (GOR NWO-I)? In June, new members started their work in both councils. In addition, the departure of Jan van der Boon means that the works councils must consult with a different Executive Board member from now on.
New composition COR NWO and GOR NWO-I
The COR NWO and GOR NWO-I have several new members. Therefore, on 12 June, a handover training took place and we elected the new daily board (DB) of both councils in the subsequent meeting. The DB of the COR NWO is made up of Daan van Loon (NIOZ) chair, Vera Meester (NWO-D) deputy chair and Rachid Chafi (NWO-D) secretary.
The DB of the GOR NWO-I is made up of Patricia Vogel (NWO-I Office) chair, Daan van Loon (NIOZ), deputy chair and Arno Gregoor (ASTRON), secretary. Sanne Prins, as the official secretary of both councils, makes the DBs complete. Do you have any questions or comments? The councils can be reached via COR@nwo-i.nl and via GORNWOI@nwo-i.nl.
The permanent committees have also largely been filled. We will tell you more about these in the next edition of Inside NWO-I, in which the chairs will also briefly introduce themselves.
Would you like to know who represents you in the works councils COR NWO and GOR NWO-I? Then please visit the NWO-I website.
Governance NWO-I
Due to the departure of Jan van der Boon as interim Director of NWO-I and as Director of operations of the NWO-I Office, both positions have been vacant since 12 July 2023. During the internal COR meeting of 4 July, NWO Executive Board member Caroline Visser joined the meeting to provide an explanation of the envisaged situation following Van der Boon's departure. She subsequently also shared this explanation in writing with COR NWO, GOR NWO-I and the NWO-I Office works council (ORB).
On 11 July, a meeting took place between (delegations of) the works councils and Caroline Visser about the role of the works councils in the decision-making concerning the temporary new governance of NWO-I. The opinions about the statutory role of the works councils differed (and still differ). Nevertheless, we agreed upon an approach that, in the interest of the institute's organisation, works for all parties concerned. After the summer holidays, we will draw up process agreements to properly embed the role of the works councils in the process towards a definitive governance of NWO-I.
We would like to thank Jan van der Boon for the pleasant and open collaboration with us.
The GOR NWO-I had already published unsolicited advice. In addition, the ORB received a request for advice about the intended appointment of a temporary director in the sense of the Dutch Works Councils Act (WOR). That concerns the person with whom the ORB consults in the consultative meetings and who, on behalf of the Executive Board, is the contact person for the ORB. The ORB has now issued its advice and is waiting for the final decision. In the next newsletter, we will summarise the unsolicited advice from the GOR NWO-I. By that time, we might also be able to share a reaction from the Executive Board representative.