German Bundestag, Plenarprotokoll 19/236, pp.
30624-30625.
Right honorable Frau President. Right honorable Frau
Minister. Right honorable ladies and gentlemen.
Frau Minister Karliczek, I am grateful to you that you have
brought more reality to the debate; to be in opposition does not mean to be on
principle opposed. We are opposed if we hold something to be false, and I must
admit: I have been able to gather in your speech more of what is right than in
the speech of colleague Gohlke.
Let us come to the matter. The law on scholarly fixed-term
contracts [Wissenschaftszeitvertragsgesetz],
ladies and gentlemen, regulates the terms of employment contracts for
scientific and artistic personnel in the post-secondary schools and research
institutes. It should especially take into account the particularities of the
academic world of work. For example, doctoral candidates in the time in which
they prepare their doctoral work should naturally have the free time required
for that. Unfortunately, many doctoral candidates will be exploited by their
professors; that however is a problem which cannot be regulated by Federal law.
We presently have in the States 16 distinct constructs of the regulation. They
in part are not sufficiently in agreement with the law of scholarly fixed-term
contracts – some even contradict it.
Ladies and gentlemen, to the truth however also belongs that
the high number of fixed-terms therein lies that the universities in recent
years have been enormously inflated by politically false course settings and
have become mass production plants. During these processes, the number of
scientific co-workers alone grew over-proportionately in relation to the number
of professors; from 2004 to 2018, from 2,900 to 14,300, thus almost a
quintupling in 14 years. In the year 2000, the portion of fixed-terms – it now
becomes interesting if we look at the States – was in Bremen with 87 percent
the highest, and in Sachsen-Anhalt with 56 percent the lowest. Bremen is for
years, as is known, governed by rather leftist parties, Sachsen-Anhalt by
rather conservative. Ladies and gentlemen of the leftist coalition, here just
for once you need to sweep your own front door before you here demand such
current affairs hours.
Ladies and gentlemen, in our opinion the Linke view the
problem one-sidedly and from nearly a trades union perspective. We think other
perspectives need to be considered; for example, the perspective of the college
rectors who, as is known, see the problem quite otherwise. I recall the
so-called Bayreuth Declaration.
Ladies and gentlemen, dear colleagues of the Linke, I prophesy
to you: If the possibility of a fixed-term were so restricted as you want it,
then many who today are still employed at term would in the future no longer be
employed at all. That cannot be the wish of our future scientists.
Ladies and gentlemen, the Linke in addition – you have not
said it, Frau Gohlke, but I have inferred it from one of your motions – want to
abolish stipends, and for that institute long-term positions. Here also I ask
myself whether that is in fact a proposal with which our students would strike
an agreement. I scarcely believe so.
Let me briefly cite the Vice-president of the college
rectors conference, Kerstin Krieglstein. She said quite correctly: “If a
project runs only five years, no lifetime position can be offered.” She is the
rector of the University of Freiburg. Naturally she is right.
Ralph Lenkert (Linke): Every industrial plant can do it!
When external funds run only for an agreed time, you can
from that make no long-term position. And to understand that suffices the small
multiplication table; but you perhaps are not yet as far as that.
Ladies and gentlemen, the vernacular says correctly: “Teaching
years are not master years”, and that also pertains to the university.
Therefore, qualifying positions can be no long-term positions. The term is here
sensible and necessary so as to make possible a qualifying for subsequent
generations of students. I want however to say where you are right: We of the
AfD also for long already demand that the basic financing be strengthened,
perhaps also admitting external funds which still today flow through the DFG
[German Research Foundation]. We require a strengthening of the basic
financing. We also require a solid Mittelbau
[non-professional teaching staff] at the universities. These however are not
the qualifying positions. These are for example – earlier, we had many more of
them – academic lecturers, senior lecturers, directors, etc., those who
naturally can give introductory courses, language courses, perhaps just as well
or even better than the professors. This Mittelbau
self-evidently needs to be strengthened. Here, we quite go along with you, if
you then in this place want to.
Ladies and gentlemen, let me say in closing that the entire
problem pertains in common to Bund and States.It is an illusion to delude the
citizens or your audience members in the universities that the Bund alone could
regulate something. We can only do this in common. Your motion, your proposals
hitherto presented, are to that extent populist. Disarm yourselves a bit.
Many thanks.
[trans: tem]
