Nominator
- Marte Lund Saga
Election platform
As temporary employees, we are responsible for a significant portion of the research and teaching activities at the University of Oslo. In fact, there are more full-time equivalents in recruitment positions than there are in associate professor and professor positions. However, temporary academic staff have only one representative on the university board elected for one year, while permanent academic staff have two representatives elected for four years. With these conditions, it is crucial that the representative for temporary staff works actively and purposefully during their limited term.
The temporary nature of our positions sets us apart from the rest of the university staff in two important areas. First, we work under different conditions on a daily basis. Second, we operate with the understanding that our future place in academia depends on our success in qualifying for a permanent position within our limited employment period.
In my role as a representative for temporary staff, I will work to:
- Improve the working conditions of temporary employees.
- Enhance the opportunities for obtaining qualifications for temporary employees.
Below, I will describe my dedication to these objectives. My commitment stems from approximately nine years of experience as a temporary employee at the University of Oslo. Throughout these years – through positions, courses, and programs across departments and faculties – I have gained insight into the working conditions of temporary staff in general. At the same time, I recognize that effective representation of our diverse and large employee group requires a channel for communication where everyone can express their insights. If I am elected as a representative, I wish to create a web form where you are welcome to share your input.
1. Improve the working conditions of temporary employees
Predictable working days:
Temporary employment affects our ability to plan long-term. For example, we do not have the same opportunities as permanent employees to develop teaching materials over time, and we cannot benefit from the advantages of a fully developed teaching plan. Thus, temporary employees often spend disproportionate amounts of time on teaching preparations at the expense of other qualifying activities. It is, therefore, crucial that local management develops predictable plans together with the employee. Requirements for planning required work ("pliktarbeid") for the employment period should be centrally anchored, and good tools for such planning should be offered to the departments.
Working conditions and health:
Improving working conditions is essential for preventing physical and mental health issues in our employee group. However, when health problems do occur, temporary employees are particularly vulnerable to delays in academic production and progression, thus limiting their future career opportunities. I believe that our employer should take special responsibility for providing good information about health services, especially considering that our employee group consists of a large proportion of international researchers who may be unfamiliar with the Norwegian healthcare system.
Working conditions and family obligations:
Many temporary employees are in a phase of life where they are starting a family. The exceptions from the Working Environment Act that are granted our "especially independent position" (according to § 10-12, section 2 of the Working Environment Act) can work well in combination with family life. However, the exception from the Act also makes temporary employees vulnerable to project leaders' expectations of availability and work beyond regular working hours. Under these conditions, it is important that temporary employees with family obligations do not lose qualifying opportunities compared to other employees.
Facilitation for international employees:
A significant portion of our employee group consists of international academics in temporary positions in Norway. Through my nine years of employment at the University of Oslo, I have witnessed international colleagues experiencing significant delays in their work due to the demanding process of settling in Norway. Obtaining residence permits, a D-number, a bank ID, a general practitioner, and potentially childcare are challenging and time-consuming, and many experience insufficient support and information regarding these processes. I believe that the information and support functions for international employees should be improved in order to relieve the individual load of these processes.
2. Improving qualification opportunities for temporary employees
The relationship between the employer and temporary employees at the University of Oslo can be seen as a symbiosis, in which the employer draws on high academic expertise without offering a permanent position, whereas the employee gains qualifications for future career development.
In 2020, the university board adopted standards for career support for researchers in early career stages. The standards specify what temporary employees can expect from the university in terms of support for planning a successful career path. However, these standards are often not well implemented in practice.
Closer alignment between individual career plan and employment period plan:
For postdoctoral fellows and other researchers in the early career stage, the standards for career support refer to the development of a career plan. However, it is unclear how these plans are actually translated into achievements of qualifications for a further career during the employment period. I believe the employer should more strongly commit to planning research activities and teaching in light of the individual's career plan.
Clearer requirements for independent mentor/mentoring:
Unfortunately, we hear of cases where project leaders' ambitions hinder temporary employees. Examples of conflicts between project leaders' interests and the career development of temporary employees include co-authorship, allocation of work of limited merit (e.g., routine lab work), lack of planning of the employment period, and lack of support for independent academic work.
The standards for career support emphasize that development talks should not be held with the closest academic leader. This way, the individual's career development may become less dependent on the project leader and less affected by conflicts of interest. However, the wording of the standards does not ensure that such independent guidance takes place.
About me
I have been employed at the University of Oslo for about nine years - first as a PhD candidate, then as a researcher, and now as a postdoctoral fellow. My daily work involves a combination of research (which focuses on the causes and consequences of social inequality in education and the labor market) and teaching (at the bachelor's, master's, and PhD levels). My nine years at UiO have given me personal experience with many of the challenges that temporary employees face in their daily work and career development. I have two children aged 8 and 10, which has given me personal experience with the challenges of balancing career development with family commitments.
Through various courses and programs at the university, I have gained good knowledge of the working conditions of temporary employees in different faculties. For example, in 2023, I participated in the university's mentor program for female postdoctoral fellows, where a central component was exchanging experiences across departments. I have also had many interesting encounters with other temporary employees by exchanging experiences in university pedagogical courses. These meetings are a significant source of my motivation for running.
I have completed board courses and board training at the university and have experience from board positions both at the University of Oslo and outside academia. Currently, I am in my second term as a representative for temporary employees on the department board at the Department of Sociology and Human Geography. I have also previously been a deputy representative for the department board and the PhD program council at the Faculty of Social Sciences. In addition, I have several years of experience as a board member in one of the kindergartens for university employees, as a board member in several housing cooperatives, and as a board member in an alumni association.