Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 15 December 2020
113. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science if his attention has been drawn to 11,200 lecturers working on a temporary or casual basis in recent years across Irish universities and institutes of technology. [43301/20]
View answerIn May 2016 the then Minister welcomed the report of the Chairperson of the Expert Group on Fixed-Term and Part-Time Employment in Lecturing in Third Level Education in Ireland. The recommendations contained in the report will assist in addressing concerns raised about precarious employment by Union representatives. The Department issued directions to the sector on the 4th July 2016 to implement the recommendations contained in the report in accordance with the terms of the Lansdowne Road Agreement and our understanding is that the Institutions took steps to do so.
The Cush Report is specific to concerns raised about part-time and fixed-term employment in lecturing and its recommendations are not applicable to non-lecturing grades. It is importantto acknowledge that there can be objective conditions for the employment of an individual on a fixed term basis such as for example, for the completion of a specific task or project or for the temporary replacement of an academic seconded to a leadership role for the period. Nevertheless the recommendations of the Cush Report to avoid unnecessary use of extended temporary contracts areclear. In line with the Universities Act, 1997, third-level institutions have autonomy in relation to human resource policies, subject to compliance with Government policy in respect of employment numbers and pay policy. Employers in the higher education sector are also required to operate in accordance with the provisions of national industrial relations agreements.
In the event that a union has concerns regarding work and contract conditions among staff in any third level institution, that union can seek to have the matter addressed using the dispute resolution procedures provided for in the Haddington Road Agreement, and any individuals who have issues of dispute have a variety of dispute resolution options open to them.
