Sindicatura de Greuges (Ombuds office)

The síndic de greuges (ombuds officer) is appointed by the Board of Trustees of the Fundació per a la Universitat Oberta de Catalunya (Foundation for the Open University of Catalonia, FUOC). Their mission is to uphold the rights and duties of all the members of the University. They act with full independence and autonomy from all of the University’s other authorities and bodies (Article 24 of the University’s Organizational and Operational Regulations).

The functions of the Sindicatura de Greuges:

• To defend the rights and freedoms of all members of the UOC university community in the face of any action or situation which is discriminatory, arbitraty or against which they have no defence, ensuring compliance with all the provisions of the UOC's Organisational and Operational Regulations and any other University regulation.
• To protect and defend in those issues submitted to Sindicatura or in which it decides to act.
• To inform on the University's operation in order to improve university quality throughout. To do so, the síndic may attend meetings of the University's collegial bodies in an advisory capacity.

The Sindicatura de Greuges activities will always ensure the defence of university quality throughout, and the University's values in particular, including the need to provide a forum for exchange, creation of knowledge and people's education, in the pursuit of guaranteeing these values and safeguarding them from negative effects from within or beyond the organisation.

The Sindicatura de Greuges may draft reports on a specific topic, on its own initiative or at the request of the University's Governing Council or Board of Trustees.

The Sindicatura de Greuges may, as part of its decisions and resolutions, make warnings, suggestions or recommendations to University authorities or staff as to their legal duties, but, under no circumstances, can it modify or annul records or resolutions.

The Sindicatura de Greuges, within the framework of the UOC's Organisational and Operational Regulations, carries out its functions independently from the various University authorities, acting autonomously, objectively and impartially.