Initiatives

Since 2003, the committee and general secretariat have undertaken various initiatives at UNIL. Most of the time, these initiatives involve interactions with the University authorities.

Below you will find a non-exhaustive list of the initiatives that have occupied us in recent years.

Main demands

  • Improvement of the Library Commission’s functioning (2024, ongoing)
  • Creation of permanent positions for UNIL’s intermediate staff (2024, ongoing)
  • Equitable and transparent distribution of teaching responsibilities for FBM PhD students on external funding (2024, ongoing)
  • Guarantee of better pensions for researchers affiliated with the Retraites Populaires pension fund (2023, ongoing)
  • Revision of Directive 0.4 from the Direction to ensure explicit sanctions for proven harassment (2023)
  • Reduction of economic precarity for PhD students with scholarships such as the Swiss Government Excellence Scholarships (2023)
  • Mobilisation with other Swiss intermediate staff associations against the ending of the SNSF’s Doc.CH program (2022)
  • End of the extension of hybrid teaching at UNIL, implemented during the COVID-19 pandemic (2022)
  • Revision of Article 24 of the Règlement sur les assistants, which discriminates against women (2021)
  • Translation into English of UNIL’s website, regulations, and laws applicable to researchers (since 2021)
  • Facilitated and free access to continuing education provided by UNIL for PhD students (2019)
  • Introduction of transparent criteria for stabilisation requests as Senior Lecturers (MER) and the mention, upon hiring as a maître assistant, of the possibility of stabilisation (2018)
  • Access for ACIDUL to the distribution list for researchers who are members of the administrative and technical staff (2017)
  • Creation of a structure dedicated to harassment to support victims, identify situations, and inform staff; organisation of a poster campaign by the University to combat workplace harassment; introduction of awareness training for PIs; and clarification of entry points for individuals experiencing harassment or discrimination on campus (2017)
  • Integration of ACIDUL and the University Feminist Association into discussions on harassment initiatives, submitted to the Conseil de l’Université (2017)
  • Clarifications on responsibility and acceptable deadlines for issuing work certificates upon leaving the university (2016)
  • Reduction of the work rate of SNSF PhD students with children, with the possibility of a contract extension, based on existing measures for graduate assistants (2015)
  • Access for ACIDUL to distribution lists for PhD students and intermediate staff at UNIL (2015)
  • Implementation of clear guidelines in case of non-reduction of contract for graduate assistants (2014)
  • Submission of a resolution to the Conseil de l’Université requesting a 500-franc increase in the stipend (indemnité) paid to SNSF doctoral students, to achieve salary equality between graduate assistants and SNSF doctoral students (2014)
  • Introduction of a pilot project for paternity leave at UNIL (2012)
  • Introduction of a research engineer per faculty to support young researchers in their career development (2011)
  • Creation of an environmental commission, in collaboration with the FAE (2010)
  • Guarantee of access to UNIL’s IT for retired Senior Lecturers (MER) (2010)
  • Systematisation of cahier des charges for assistants (2009-2010)
  • ACIDUL-FAE position statement for better regulation of the student assistant status and for the hiring of researchers on external funds according to a clear and fair procedure (2010)
  • Opposition, through a petition, to the introduction of the « PhD student on external funds » status, which is not subject to the Règlement sur les assistants and implies a salary reduction (2007-2008)

Petitions, organisation of events, etc.

  • Organisation of a conference on the cahier des charges for intermediate staff researchers at UNIL (2024)
  • Petition against inequalities among PhD students with a UNIL contract, in collaboration with the Public Services Union (2023, ongoing)
  • Discussions with the Graduate Campus and SASME to find ways to reduce economic precarity for PhD students without a UNIL contract (2023)
  • Update of ACIDUL’s information brochure and creation of a flyer (2023)
  • Organisation of an annual conference on unemployment rights for research staff at UNIL, in collaboration with the Public Services Union (since 2022)
  • Survey on private research funding at UNIL, in collaboration with the Research Service and the Graduate Campus (2022)
  • Facilitated access to a Unisciences page for PhD students without a UNIL contract (2021)
  • Petition for the automatic extension of all precarious contracts, related to the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on teaching and research (2020)
  • Hosting of the Forum de la relève suisse – University.Now (2019)
  • Introduction of ACIDUL’s emergency fund for PhD students, now called the « PhD Student Solidarity Fund » (2018)
  • Access for ACIDUL to the distribution list for researchers who are members of administrative and technical staff (2017)
  • Petition for full-time employment of FBM postdoctoral fellows employed at 80% for 100% actual work, in collaboration with the Public Services Union (2017)
  • Launch of a platform to list the job descriptions of intermediate staff (2016)
  • Organisation of the second États généraux de la recherche, to combat the degradation of research conditions in Switzerland and envision a different university (2015)
  • Mobilisation for PhD students whose assistantship contracts were arbitrarily terminated at the end of the first year (2015)
  • Support for the petition for accessible health insurance and a salary adjustment for UNIL researchers, following the end of the special regime for foreign researchers (2014)
  • Participation in the strike for public sector pensions, with the Public Services Union and SUD (2013)
  • Organisation of information booths on the cahier des charges for researchers (2013)
  • Support for the motion submitted to the Grand Conseil for the introduction of paternity leave for employees of the State of Vaud (2012)
  • Organisation of the first États généraux de la recherche, to combat the degradation of research conditions in Switzerland and envision a different university (2012)
  • Update of ACIDUL’s information brochure
  • Organisation of a forum on statuses related to teaching and research, including discussions on the revision of the Loi sur l’Université (2010)
  • Creation of ACIDUL’s information brochure, in French and in English (2009)
  • Formation of a working group on the multitude of roles and statuses at UNIL, particularly for mid-level staff (2008-2009)
  • Petition « Position statement on Directive 1.31 (PhD students funded by external funds) » (2008)