PRESS RELEASE – PNN welcomes Supreme Court ruling: UMCG PhD scholarship candidates must be considered employees

The Dutch PhD Network (PNN) is pleased with the Supreme Court's ruling in the case brought by 44 MD/PhD grant-bearing PhD candidates against the University Medical Center Groningen (UMCG). The Supreme Court confirms that the relationship between these PhD candidates and the UMCG should be considered an employment contract, and has been so since the experiment began. Chair Benthe van Wanrooij responded: "PNN has been strongly opposed to the unfair treatment that PhD candidates in this experiment have faced for years. This ruling finally confirms that PhD research should be considered work."

The PhD candidates in question were hired as "students" as part of the PhD education experiment. As a result, they did not receive an employment contract with corresponding remuneration, but a grant allowance. Both before and after this period, PhD candidates with a similar profile were hired as employees. In practice, the grant-bearing PhD candidates conducted the same research work and had the same responsibilities, but received significantly less salary, did not accrue pension entitlements, did not receive holiday pay, and were not protected under the collective labor agreement.

Van Wanrooij emphasizes: "PhDs are work. These PhD candidates performed work for the UMCG and had to fulfill almost all the obligations of a regular employee. It is unacceptable that they were treated under worse conditions. Now they can finally be compensated for this."

The PhD scholarship experiment was launched in 2016 and ran until August 2024. During this period, approximately 1,500 PhD scholarship candidates were accepted at the University of Groningen and the University Medical Center Groningen. They were the only institutions in the Netherlands to use the experiment on such a large scale. PNN has spoken out for years against the unequal treatment within this system and is now considering, together with its partners, whether and how other former PhD scholarship candidates can receive recognition for their work.

PNN is asking PhD candidates and PhD graduates who participated in the experiment to complete  this form . This information will be used to coordinate potential follow-up steps.

About PNN

The Dutch PhD Network (PNN) is the national advocacy organization for PhD candidates in the Netherlands. PNN is committed to fair working conditions, equal treatment, and improving the position of PhD candidates within the Dutch academic system.

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Note to editors:

For questions or additional information, please contact:

Benthe van Wanrooij, chair of PNN
Email: voorzitter@hetpnn.nl
Telephone: +31 6 15 47 05 56