The rector of the University of La LagunaFrancisco García, has recently signed with the union representatives the document that establishes the Public Employment Offer (OPE) of 2023, which rises to 92 teaching positions plus 10 internal promotion. Both parties recognized that this is a “clearly insufficient” amount, but they valued this progress in the midst of a context of great uncertainty, without a program contract, with new ministerial changes and in the face of a new organic law that will require great subsequent development.
The OPE involves, therefore, the call for 30 positions for university professors, five for I3/R3 university professors, 46 for permanent employment professors and 11 for permanent employment I3 professors, in addition to the promotion of 10 positions for university professors.
The document agrees as already validated criteria the coverage of all teaching staff that has been accredited to university teaching bodies until November 21, as well as the reserve of 15% for the Ramón y Cajal excellence program and other similar ones, within the agreement stabilization of researchers.
20 permanent employment teaching positions have also been agreed upon to cover all accredited doctoral assistant professors who have completed the three-year contract in 2023, as well as 26 permanent employment teaching positions that will be distributed as follows: 20 depending on the stabilization of researchers as provided by the Governing Council, the teaching needs of the area of knowledge, at the date of accreditation and the date of application of the department; and 6 places linked to the Canarian Health Service depending on teaching needs.
Likewise, compliance with the reservation for people with disabilities has been closed, which, according to the norm, is set at a minimum of 7% so that at least 2% is covered by people who prove intellectual disability and the rest of the places offered whether for people who have any other type of disability.
All union representatives valued this OPE, which, although it does not cover all needs, represents progress within a greater commitment, they said, to the improvement of the institution. The spirit of the negotiation and the effort made by the institution itself were also valued, said the president of the Board of Teaching and Research Personnel, Luis Cabrera, since the offer could have been limited to 50 or 60 places and yet it has arrived up to the maximum allowed, with 120%. In his opinion, this call will allow the stabilization and promotion of teaching staff and will be expanded to freely available positions for deficient areas in the coming years.
In addition, the agreement establishes the guidelines of the hiring system for subsequent academic years, freeing up resources to hire more doctoral assistant professors, with the guarantee, he said, that no one is left on the street, as has happened in other universities.
The president of the PDI Laboral Business Committee, Fernando Rivera, expressed the same sentiment, and also valued the transparency in the negotiation and the updated information received at all times from the vice-rector of Teaching and Research Personnel, Alfonso Ruiz Rallo, in amid such a changing scenario in which the old contractual figures are combined with the new ones promulgated by the LOSU.
For his part, the vice-rector pointed out that in this academic year the university has reached the maximum number of retirements of its teaching staff, and that this limit will now begin to gradually decrease. “We hope that with the changes at LOSU, talent retention will be easier,” to which he added that the replacement rate must combine new additions and maintain seniors. However, he pointed out, it would have been impossible to reach this agreement if there had not been harmony with the union representatives, something that he especially appreciated.
The rector, Francisco García, closed the event by pointing to the moment of “radical uncertainty” in which we are installed, without anything being certain, which is why he valued the positive attitude demonstrated in the negotiation, which he said was very necessary in these circumstances. . The agreement is the result of constructive work, he pointed out, for a university that has to face major challenges that involve having a contract-program in the medium term to be able to ensure a scenario of greater tranquility.
Faced with all this, the rector continued, a key concept has been given in his opinion: unity. “It won’t be up to us,” he said, in the sense that in every offer of positions they will try to reach the maximum possible with the aim of stabilizing the teaching staff, having decent labor relations and at the same time reinforcing the recruitment of young talent. to join the teaching and research staff of the University of La Laguna.
