New Doctoral Student Representative for ST-KTH
Lilly Rosander, doctoral student at the Division of Construction and Facilities Management at the ABE School, is ST-KTH's new contact person for doctoral students.
Why does ST need a Doctoral Student Representative?
“The doctoral student position is special, because it is both an education and an employment at the same time. ST is a broad organization that includes all government employees, which is good in many ways as we have legitimacy in many issues, but then it can also be good to have a Doctoral Student Representative so that the doctoral students' specific issues are not forgotten,” says Lilly Rosander.
What are the most important questions for the doctoral students at KTH?
”There are many issues to address! ST recently came out with a report: "How is the doctoral student", which highlights a number of areas that unions should focus extra on (link here). In summary, the union should work to clarify the division of responsibilities for doctoral students' working conditions. Today, there is a lack of clarity about the role of the supervisor for example. But there are also the questions of issues that affect the individual study plan, the extent to which doctoral students take holidays, work overtime, etc.”
“We should therefore work towards clarifying doctoral students' working conditions, for example by requiring that development dialogues should always take place, even with doctoral students. Issues concerning the interplay between the individual study plan, doctoral students' employment and the right to extension (due to care of a sick child, sick leave, etc.) can also be improved. There, we as a trade union can work actively to raise these more practical issues with the employer so that the responsibility does not rest solely with the individual doctoral student.”
