Member of the team EMN Luxembourg, Mr Adolfo Sommarribas is running as a candidate representing the administrative, technical and financial staff in the University Council elections for the next tenure (2023-2028).
Here is his letter to the University staff about his aims and priorities. You will find the German and French versions of the letter attached to this website post.
Dear colleagues,
Making our voice heard
Even though, the administrative, technical, and financial staff is the largest portion of the human resources of the University, we are the least represented as we only hold two seats. Nevertheless, I firmly believe that our voice must be heard in the decisions and actions of the University, as the Luxembourgish legislator considers the university council as a senatorial body.
One of my first actions in the University Council was to provide the legal framework for the operation of the first session as there was no express rule on how to proceed because the elected president was not present during the session. This action allowed the University Council to appoint two representatives to the Board of Governors. Otherwise, it would have been up to the Government to directly appoint two representatives.
Even though the mandate of the University Council is clearly defined in article 12 of the University Law, since the beginning of my mandate and during all the following sessions, my participation in the University Council has been quite active and, in some moments, it has become even combative. Especially in certain issues such as moral and sexual harassment procedures, childcare, role of the ombudsman, the internal rules of the University Council and budget-related issues. All these positions can be reviewed in the minutes of the university council.
The law on our side
From the beginning of the current tenure, I pushed for a code of conduct inside the university council that protects the independence of its members to express themselves freely without fear of any retaliation as there was no such regulation in the university law nor in the internal rules. Some of these norms were later adopted in the current reform and became part of the internal rules of the University.
Even though the University Council is seen as a corporate body whose members do not represent the interest of a particular group, the reality is that in the discussions of the university council sometimes specific group interests flourish. When this happens, you must be able to confront these interests without fear of the individuals representing these groups. For those who know me, they know I went and will continue to go the extra mile to defend the interest of the people I represent.
Experience and independence
My 35 years in the legal profession, my position in different European networks (EMN, FRANET) and expert for the Luxembourgish government in different international fora provides a solid backbone for representing the interest of the administrative, technical, and financial staff.
One of the major advantages that I have is that I am not directly connected to any hierarchical structure inside the University, which provides me additional substantial independence to act on behalf of my fellow colleagues.
During the current term, we went through two major crises, Covid-19 and the Ukrainian War. In both cases, especially during the latter, I tried to assist and provide accurate and up-to-date information to the university, through different working groups such as the Ukrainian Committee.
I submit my candidature for Your consideration, and I hope that I can count on Your support during the next election that will take place between the 9th and 13th of October 2023.