In a statement, the NUI Galway SIPTU Academic Staff Stewards committee, said: “Our members have taken note of the recent decision of the Equality Tribunal with regard to Dr Micheline Sheehy Skeffington’s application for promotion to Senior Lecturer at NUI Galway in 2009.

“They have also noted the results of the recent Higher Education Authority (HEA) Survey on gender balance in the third level sector in Ireland and the poor position of NUI Galway with respect to this. We are urging the Governing Body of the university to engage fully and openly with all relevant NUI Galway stakeholders and its alumni, in order to ensure that this unacceptable state of affairs is rectified within an acceptable timeframe”.

The statement concluded: “Our members will vote at an emergency general meeting on 8th January on whether to support a motion calling for an independent, external, expert body to carry out a comprehensive equality audit throughout the entire university. This would be aimed at ensuring SIPTU members that the issue of gender equality will be tackled systematically throughout the organisation. For its part, the SIPTU NUI Galway academic section is more than willing to engage constructively in this process.”

Click here for a more detailed statement