DM continues working to create the best possible working conditions for PhD students and young researchers.
By way of example, during the OK18 negotiations, we succeeded in getting employers to meet the requirement for the payment of full pension contributions to PhD students. In order for this work to be successful, strong and organised local and national member communities are required. This is why we arrange a number of activities centrally and at the universities to support our members and their work lives.
DM at your university
DM union representatives organise members locally and represent employees in a number of local committees to ensure that PhD students have good working conditions and participate in decision-making on working conditions. At a number of department across the country, PhD students are representatives in local liaison committees.
If you want to help make PhD students at your university heard, you can contact your local union representative and hear about the opportunities for participating in committee work.
It becomes necessary for an increasing number of PhD students to seek out career paths other than the classic path as a university researcher. In other words, many researchers find that they need to use the skills they have acquired in the course of their PhD in a different context. In DM, we focus on helping our members identify the work life that suits them. Therefore, we collaborate with the universities to provide PhD students with the opportunity plan their careers and develop their skills at workshops held at the universities.
We also work to convince employers of the benefits of hiring more PhD students into companies.
Contact
If you want to discuss your career opportunities at or outside the universities with a consultant, contact Niels Glæsner, DM consultant, or ask your local union representative.
DM works for the interests of non-tenured researchers
A clear trend, both in the labour market in general and for researchers at universities, is that many experience a period as a non-tenured employee. According to the Danish Research and Innovation Policy Council, the average length of fixed-term employments at universities has increased from about seven to just under nine years.
Since 2018, DM has set up a member forum for temporary staff - Temporarily Employed Researcher's forum (TER). This forum acts as a network and a space for collective activities the purpose of which is to put the work life of non-tenured university researchers on the public agenda. The objectives include, amongst others, the sharing of experiences as well as improving employment and career prospects, both within and outside the universities.
Collaboration with PAND
To ensure the conditions and rights of PhD students, DM collaborates with the organization PAND - PhD Association Network of Denmark. PAND is the national gathering point for a number of local organisations for PhD students at the individual universities. Together with PAND, DM prepares material and hold activities that deal with the career planning, stress and working conditions of PhD students.
