Polish–Norwegian cooperation within ENHANCE+ | Gdańsk University of Technology

Forskerforbundet – The Norwegian Association of Researchers (NAR) is the largest trade union in Norway, uniting 25 000 employees in the higher education and research sectors, public administration, cultural institutions and health care facilities. The union has 280 local branches, and its members include not only active but also retired employees and students. More than 50% of mmbers are women.

On Wednesday, 17 April, employees of HR Center and the International Relations Office met with representatives of the local branch of the union operating at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) – partner university in the ENHANCE Alliance. The meeting took place at Hilton Hotel, where NAR organized one of its regular training sessions.

Gdańsk Tech was represented by the following persons: Katarzyna Bruder, Head of the Development Team at HR Center (ENHANCE Work Package 2 Leader), Krzysztof Dudek, HR Center (ENHANCE Work Package 2 member), Anna Modrzejewska, Head of International Relations Office (ENHANCE Core Officer) and Justyna Sudakowska, International Relations Office (ENHANCE Local Communication Officer). The event was the initiative of Wolfgang Laschet, who works at the Unit of International Relations at NTNU. Other members of the union also participated in the meeting - about 20 people representing various professions at the university.

The discussion began with a short NAR presentation devoted to organization and role of trade unions in Norway, where the level of unionization is very high and amounts to over 80% (compared to approximately 6% in Poland - CBOS data). Trade unions constitute an important voice of employees with regard to remuneration, labor law and recruitment, they publish documents concerning this scope, monitor implementation of changes in regulations and conduct numerous training programs.

NAR members were particularly interested in the activity of Gdańsk University of Technology in ENHANCE+ project, where Gdańsk Tech is the leader of the task related to professional development of academic and administrative staff (Work Package 2: Human Dimension, scope engaging HR Center, International Relations Office and Center for Innovative Education. More information is available here). Katarzyna Bruder from HR Center, leader of the task, together with representatives of Gdańsk Tech shared more information about the planned tasks, including development and support of diverse career paths, building excellence in teaching, improving social skills and employee wellbeing support.

- The meeting proved there is shared ground for cooperation with NAR. Within the framework of ENHANCE+ and our work package, we have planned i.a. to conduct employee survey concerning their emotional health at work. As NAR actively works at NTNU, they can turn out to be helpful in conducting employee surveys. However, there are more areas for cooperation – says Katarzyna Bruder, HR Center.

The participants declared their willingness to continue cooperation and openness to future meetings.

If you want to learn more about the activities of Gdańsk University of Technology in the ENHANCE Alliance, Visit the project website or write to us: enhance@pg.edu.pl