Conflict at MDU: “They’re silencing the union”

“Since launching an unfunded programme for 20 postdocs without a formal decision, the School of Innovation, Design and Engineering (IDT) at Mälardalen University (MDU) has run a deficit of over SEK 62 million over a four-year period, reports the local newspaper VLT. The employment of postdocs at IDT was a result of an increased research grant following MDU’s elevation to university status in 2022. “It may sound as though people are crooks and have been deliberately mismanaging things,” says Björn Fundberg, vice-chair of the local Saco-S association at MDU, “but there are several explanations for the lack of clarity regarding compliance with regulations. Administrative support has been inadequate, for example.” Two separate reviews have been carried out, one external and one internal, and several personnel cases are currently under investigation. “We are not used to police interrogation-type situations”, says Fundberg. He and Roger Andersson, chair of the Saco-S association at MDU, describe how employees are not given the opportunity to tell their version of events, while the union has been prevented from doing its job. For example, they explain, they have not been allowed to see case files during deliberations before the Staff Disciplinary Board on the grounds that the ongoing investigation is subject to confidentiality, which creates uncertainty regarding what the employee is accused of. “We have a bad situation here, which is very worrying, especially for those affected. We believe that confidentiality cannot apply to the employee,” says Fundberg. The problems are primarily associated with IDT, but the union feels that the handling of staff matters has changed elsewhere within MDU as well. “They are taking a slightly tougher line. They are muzzling the union even in matters unrelated to this department,” says Andersson. “The dialogue with the employer needs to be better,” adds Fundberg. “Obviously we go on the defensive too when our members are being treated like this and we are being sidelined. People have a right to due process, no matter what they are accused of.” At the same time, the MDU campus in Västerås is undergoing refurbishment in order to introduce activity-based workspaces. “They have already finished all the building work and refurbishment in Eskilstuna,” says Andersson, “but perhaps they have done it the wrong way. There are not enough individual office rooms. However, the problem then is that you cannot have separate offices for everyone, because then you will not have a flexible working environment. But many of us have jobs that require peace and quiet.” Shortly before the summer of 2025, a requirement to be at the workplace at least three days a week was also announced. “At that point, teachers felt that there were changes being made to their working conditions,” explains Fundberg. In the new flexible working environment, there are not enough workspaces for everyone to be on site at the same time. “We have had a lot of reactions; I do not think we have ever had so many reactions to anything,” says Andersson. The union felt that the new rules were not in accordance with the local agreement on annual working time, and that the change should therefore have been preceded by negotiations. At the union’s request, a local negotiation took place, but it ended in disagreement. The subsequent central negotiation has not yet been formally concluded. The negotiation documents show that the employer believes the attendance requirement complies with the working time agreement and therefore does not consider itself to have breached the duty to negotiate. “You are supposed to be at the workplace to the extent that you are needed at work. If you have teaching scheduled on campus, that should always take place on campus, so then you should be on campus,” says Andersson. However, he wonders what rules and expectations will actually apply. “This uncertainty has been going on all autumn, with conflicting messages being communicated. At times it has been described as ‘being at the workplace’, but just as often the message has been that you are permitted to work from home for two days. And that is not the same thing,” Andersson explains. So far , the departments at MDU have been sending out different information, and the fact that this requirement comes in the middle of a reorganisation has made things even more messy. The union believes that the attendance requirement should be changed to a request from the employer’s side. Instead, Roger Andersson wants to see more joint on-site activities that are to the benefit of work and teaching. “You need to have activities; you cannot just impose a requirement. Introducing a principle that people must be at the workplace will not bring about a cultural change.” However, the question of what rules actually apply regarding attendance has taken a back seat in recent weeks. Currently, the focus is on issues relating to day-to-day work within the new academic organisation. “Getting things organised comes first,” says Andersson. “Who is responsible for what. Then this attendance issue will perhaps come up again.” Andersson and Fundberg tell us that their discussions with union staff at central level have led them to believe that the situation at MDU is not like those elsewhere. “Obviously that is a natural consequence,” says Fundberg. “But even so, I think you need to give some thought to how people work and how you treat your staff. Because it will come back to bite you.” “I hope this is the last time we see anything about MDU in the mass media,” says Andersson. “But unfortunately, that is not likely to be the case.” Universitetsläraren has contacted Martin Hellström, the vice-chancellor of MDU, for comment. Inlägget Conflict at MDU: “They’re silencing the union” dök först upp på Universitetsläraren .

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