As a student at CEU, I really don't know how they are allowed to violate so many laws in Austria and just continue to exist.
Their scheme for PhDs is pure wage theft, having us register as "self-employed" and fill a SVS form that says that CEU is our "client". I have immediate superiors there, I have a work space, I’m directed to tasks by my superiors and have to fill yearly progress reports. I cannot be replaced at my job, and I have to ask their permission to have other jobs. And is spite of all that, I’m classified as an “independent contractor” just so CEU does not have to pay proper social security and taxes.
Speaking of taxes, I technically have a 15k euros tuition, which is waived for all doctoral students. Even if you spend more years, it's just waived for all of us. This is clearly just so CEU can pretend that they give us a larger grant, and that 15k are used to account for the tuition.
Tax fraud was always massive in the university. Former president Michael Ignatieff is in the Epstein files, speaking to a close Epstein associate on how to pay fewer taxes in Austria.
I have absolutely zero hope of CEU ever doing the right thing until the authorities stop them. And I know there are students reporting CEU for forcing employees to register as "self-employed". So why does nothing happen?
Edit:
Just remembering the time Nancy Fraser was giving a lecture at CEU and someone asked her about it. She replied "It is work. You are not self-employed. You actually have bosses."
This was 2,5 years ago. CEU has not moved an inch towards a less exploitative model.
Here is the video on instagram.