Dismissal
In this section, we outline the conditions under which a dismissal may occur during a PhD trajectory. Below, you can find a general explanation of dismissal for employed Phd candidates, as well as important information to keep in mind for non-employed PhD candidates.
Employed PhD candidates
A university or UMC may terminate your employment contract before its end date on reasonable grounds. Examples of reasonable grounds are long-term incapacity for work, business termination, or incapacity for a job.To do so, the employer needs either your consent or permission from the UWV or a court (depending on the grounds) You can recall your consent for up to two weeks, and three if your employer does not notify you of this right. This counts both for consent to dismissal on reasonable grounds as well as a mutual termination agreement.
- One month if you have been employed for less than six months.
- Two months if you've been employed between six and twelve months.
- Three months if you've been employed for at least 12 months without interruption.
These same terms apply if you choose to resign yourself.
In the event of termination, your end-of-year bonus should be paid simultaneously with the very last salary payment. The amount is calculated in proportion to the amount of time worked since the last end of year bonus. You should receive your holiday allowance over the period between the end of the last period for which the allowance was paid and the dismissal date.
Do you want to know more? Contact Lex Mandos for advice.
Lex Mandos
Labour conditions - universities
Not-employed PhD candidates
As with many other issues, the conditions under which dismissal may occur for non-employed PhD candidates are governed by the specific institution locally. This is generally done in the PhD regulations. This also means that the termination periods and allowances do not apply in this case.
It is common that this type of PhD candidate also has annual reviews in addition to the supervision meetings to discuss the progress and state of their research. However, they would not usually have the go/no-go meeting that applies to employed PhD candidates.
Some universities may have limitations in terms of the timeframe to complete a PhD for non-employed PhDs (i.e., number of years after which someone is expected to hand in their dissertation).
Do you want to know more? Contact Teebah Abu-Zahra for advice.
Teebah Abu-Zahra
Labor conditions - external, international and scholarship PhD candidates
Are you currently experiencing issues during your PhD that you need help with?
Most institutions have a number of contact points for help. This compass is designed to help you find the right support.
In the drop-down menu you can select the institution that you are doing your PhD at. Then the roadmap will show you available contact points. In most cases it makes sense to start by considering contact points in your immediate work environment first and then progress to higher levels (like institutional or national).
At the bottom of the page you can find some examples of problems you can run into and a list of descriptions of each contact point.
Your first contact points
Colleagues: Sometimes it can already help to talk with your colleagues about the issue you are experiencing. This will help you judge the severity of it and can provide you with allies in taking further action.
Daily supervisor*: Naturally, your daily supervisor is the first contact point for all issues. They can help you determine the next steps. Of course, you may not feel comfortable discussing everything with your supervisor, or maybe your daily supervisor is involved in the issue. In these cases have a look at the other available contact points.
Promotor or Co-Supervisor*: Especially, in cases of issues with your daily supervisor, consider reaching out to your promotor or another member on the supervision team and ask for a one-on-one meeting. Maybe they can (temporarily) step-up and help you resolve the issue.If you have a conflict with your supervisor(s), you can also have a look at the PNN PhD supervisor conflict roadmap.
*Note that your annual review talk with your supervisory team is a good opportunity to address issues or suggestions for improvement.
National contact points
Labor unions: Organizations representing the interests of academic staff, offering support on employment-related matters, rights, and fair treatment.
NWO Scientific Integrity Desk: A specialized desk addressing scientific integrity concerns in projects related to or funded by the Dutch Research Council (NWO).
Netherlands Board of Research Integrity (LOWI): An independent body handling complaints related to scientific integrity, providing a platform for fair investigation. If you feel like the local scientific integrity committee at your institution did not handle a case correctly, the LOWI can be the next contact point.
Making a police report: In cases involving a criminal offense, please consider contacting local law enforcement to report incidents and seek assistance.