According to the trade unions FNV, AOb, and CNV, support from the Executive Board (EB) is the most important condition for an Ombuds to be able to function effectively. The fact that the university has withdrawn its confidence means that staff can no longer approach the Ombuds in a “meaningful” way, they argue. The declaration—published on intranet—is meant to make TU/e employees aware of this, says union representative Jan Vleeshouwers. “People don’t go to the Ombuds lightly; it’s often about serious misconduct. We can’t let the community believe the system still works when it doesn’t.”

Court case

Support for the Ombuds had already been lacking for some time, according to the unions. They say the university has great difficulty accepting her criticism and recommendations. Ombuds Anna Soedira also wrote in her most recent annual report: ‘Implementation proves difficult and does not appear to be given sufficient priority.’ According to the unions, support was also absent in other ways. As an example, they point to a recent court case in which the Executive Board disclosed confidential correspondence with the Ombuds.

This summer, the university launched an external investigation into several cases in which confidential Ombuds communications had been used. That investigation is still ongoing and is expected to be completed this fall, according to the spokesperson. The investigation will also look at the roles of the Executive Board, the Ombuds, the University Council, and the unions, the Executive Board wrote in its own statement. ‘The aim is to reach consensus and thus provide a good basis for a new Ombudsperson to start.’

Too little trust

The Executive Board’s statement appeared two days after the unions’ declaration was published on intranet. Just before the summer break, the Executive Board had already decided not to prolong the Ombuds’ contract when it expires in November. The university says the reason is a lack of mutual trust. The spokesperson declined to provide further details, citing confidentiality. The unions believe the Executive Board is not following the procedure set out in the ombuds regulations and has not specified what shortcomings it sees in the ombuds’ work.

According to Vleeshouwers, mutual trust should not be the decisive factor in the first place. “The Ombuds serves as a conduit for problems within the organization and provides advice on how to address them. The Board should either act on those recommendations, or explain clearly why it chooses not to.”

The university says it aims to fill the Ombuds role again in November. In its statement, the Executive Board notes that it has bundled sixteen key recommendations from various reports, including those of the ombuds, and is working on their implementation. The university does not respond to the unions’ allegations in its statement.

Not a dead end

The unions want to keep talking with the Executive Board, says Vleeshouwers. “This is not a dead end. We still want an Ombuds. We need to discuss what is required to ensure this works properly in the future. That will be quite a debate.”

The Executive Board expects the current Ombuds to remain in office until her contract ends. In the meantime, employees can also turn to the confidential advisors and complaints committees. The Ombuds herself says she deeply regrets that matters have come to this point. She cannot comment further at this time.

This article was translated using AI-assisted tools and reviewed by an editor.