This could seem like good news for students at the University of Strasbourg, some of whom will be able to go home to see their families longer during the holidays. On the other hand, this is much less well perceived by the trade unions. Energy sobriety obliges, “a third week of Christmas leave at the beginning of January and a full week of distance learning courses in February” will indeed be put in place, detailed Michel Deneken, the president of the university in a video addressed to the students. Monday and posted on YouTube. The start of the school year initially scheduled for January 3, 2023 will finally take place on January 9, after a week of administrative closure, without any teaching being provided. However, libraries will remain open, so that students can prepare for their competitions.
The university, which had nearly 57,000 students in 2020-2021, is indeed seeing its energy bill explode. Its expenditure on electricity, gas and heating on the network fell from 10 million euros in 2021 to 13 million euros in 2022, after an amending budget granted an extension of an additional 1.5 million euros. For 2023, 20 million have been included in the provisional budget.
An “imposed telework” for certain staff?
Other saving measures, the heating, set at 19 degrees, will be turned on “as late as possible” and a communication campaign will be deployed “in favor of eco-gestures for a more sustainable planet”, also affirmed Michel Deneken. “The cost of energy (…) is soaring more and more every day”, underlined the president of the University of Strasbourg, recalling that the establishment should “take its part in the ecological transition”. Finally, the university will carry out its carbon footprint from October. The first results are due in January 2023. The objective is to improve the energy performance of buildings.
“The administrative closures constitute a breach of the principle of continuity of public service”, denounced in a press release the FSU union. According to her, research activities could suffer from these measures, with less access to laboratories. The Unitary Trade Union Federation believes that these measures amount to “imposed teleworking” for certain staff, and will lead to employees being charged “heating and electricity costs which should be borne by the employer”.