As part of the campaign for her re-election as principal of the Universitat de València, Mavi Mestre's candidacy held meetings with representatives of the CSIF and STEPV trade unions. During the meeting, observations and suggestions regarding the needs of the institution were addressed.

Mavi Mestre and some members of her candidacy team held meetings with the representative of the Central Sindical Independiente y de Funcionarios, and the Sindicato de Trabajadoras y Trabajadores de la Enseñanza del País Valenciano, on Wednesday 23rd and Friday 25th February, respectively. During the meetings, needs, observations and suggestions were presented from different sectors of the University staff.

Ernest Cano (Vice-Principal for Academic Regulations and Teaching Staff), Ángeles Solanes (who will be Vice-Principal for Teaching Transformation and Lifelong Learning) and Helena Rausell (who will be in charge of Equality, Diversity and Inclusive Policies), as well as the University General Manager, Juan Vicente Climent, took part alongside the candidate.

The participants, representatives of their unions and of the different groups of the university community, focused their remarks on the implementation of resources to improve administrative work, as well as the improvement of computer applications for the optimal development of the administrative and service staff’s tasks. In the same vein, they emphasised the promotion of continuous training for the correct development of their functions, in the face of the digitalisation and bureaucratisation of public administration, encouraging the learning of languages and other skills.

They also called for action on the administrative and service staff employment situation, improving contracting methods and their remuneration.

Among other aspects, they emphasised the fight against the replacement rate in order to eliminate job insecurity and cover the demands at the administrative level, an aspect in which, naturally, the candidate for Principal is counting on the trade unions strength to continue to demand its elimination. At the same time, they suggested joining forces to encourage the job stabilisation programme and increase the number of vacancies offered, so that people can be linked to the institution more quickly than is required by the respective contractual modalities.

In relation to research teaching staff, both trade unions proposed to reduce the bureaucratic burden on them, mentioning that the time spent on bureaucracy hinders their research activity and the proper implementation of projects, which is, together with teaching, the main core of the work that these staff have to carry out.

At the meeting, the STEPV representatives expressed their interest in strengthening teaching in Valencian at the centres, despite recognising the progress that has been made in the last four years, as well as the efficacy and advisability of measures such as the establishment of the C1 requirement because people with full-time trainee lecturer contracts can be promoted to full-time lecturer doctor in cases where the teaching needs in Valencian are not fully covered. The representatives also raised the problems, known to the current management team, of teaching in Valencian in degrees with only one group and the lack of teaching in Valencian in the University's official master's degrees.

As a measure applicable to all professional categories, they proposed the establishment of a training system in their own language for teaching and research staff, for administrative and service staff and for students, in order to continue making progress in the reinforcement of Valencian as the University's insignia.

In view of the needs outlined, Mavi Mestre commented that her team proposal for the next four years is clearly committed to lifelong learning, with a new vice-principal with these competences, one of the objectives of which is to extend the training of the PAS and PDI in matters related to language and other processes linked to digitalisation. In addition, she said that staff will be strengthened with inclusive policies that promote equity and participation.

She also insisted on the joint work’s need to demand a collective agreement that ensures adequate funding for the planning and improvement of the staff’s salaries of the universities of the Valencian Community and to eliminate the discrimination suffered by the staff of the Universitat de València, equating the professional fees received to other Valencian universities, which would require the Conselleria to review the decree on remuneration, as the principal has repeatedly requested.

In response to the suggestions regarding teaching and research staff leave and reconciliation measures, the candidacy team pointed out that, in relation to the first point, it is expected that the figure of the substitute lecturer will soon be regulated in order to guarantee leave’s flexible coverage that occurs during academic periods and, in relation to the second point, it said that the results of the pilot plan that was set up are being studied and assessed in order to design suitable measures.

To conclude, Mavi Mestre invited the attendees to vote in the elections on 1st March in order to continue strengthening the University and stressed the importance of joint work between the trade unions and the Institution in order to defend demands shared by all, which, with joint action, have a greater chance of being heard.