Faced with the conflict between professors and alternates of the UPV/EHU, last week the Vice Rector of Professors and Research, Federico Recart, and the Rector, Eva Ferreira. The UPV Coordinadora de Precarios has published a press release on "serious and defamatory" statements.

Recart explained that Article 80.1 of the new University Law LOSU states that substitutes can only be hired for teaching tasks, so full time contracts cannot be offered. These contracts have a maximum remuneration of EUR 800.

However, the coordinator accuses the executive team of making a "restrictive and malicious" reading of the law because "she knows that the law also allows the substitute group to pay for the research". They denounce that this application of the law has made the monitoring of these professors "unfeasible", which affects the workload of the staff with stable employment and the quality of the teaching received by the students: "These problems are getting worse early in the course."

According to the coordinator, substitutes investigate and bring the results of this research into classrooms. In addition, they should investigate to advance their academic career. "The rectoral team intends that the research should be carried out in our pocket, as a leisure dynamic and with little free time".

Recart says that this has been done so far and that the part-sessions are compatible with other contracts. The alternates point out that precariousness is an "endemic disease" of the UPV/EHU, but that the "interested application" of LOSU has aggravated the situation of some precarious groups.

Recart expressed willingness to negotiate with the trade unions and the coordinator. In the press release, the coordinator asks the rectorate to take steps to resolve the situation. On the other hand, they invite trade unions to open the timetables for mobilisation and strike in the coming months.