An Extraordinary General Meeting of the SIPTU academic section at NUI Galway unanimously backed a motion on 8th January, calling for an external equality audit, of all aspects of the university, by an independent expert or experts.
The resolution states that the university must take action to eliminate all facets of structural discrimination within the institution. It requires that SIPTU be involved in agreeing the external expert(s) in order to guarantee their independence.
The meeting agreed that academics were not alone in facing discrimination. The SIPTU Committee stated: “If this is happening to women academics at NUIG what are women on low pay or no pay facing, for example, administrative staff and cleaners? Actively and concretely addressing this issue is of concern to all staff regardless of gender or employment status.”
The SIPTU committee motion follows a recent Equality Tribunal ruling in favour of NUIG scientist Dr. Micheline Sheehy Skeffington, and which directed that she be awarded €70,000. NUIG was also ordered to promote Dr. Sheehy Skeffington, recently retired, to senior lecturer from July 2009 and to pay her the full salary difference.
However, NUIG is appealing an €81,000 award which the Equality Tribunal directed that it pay lecturer Mary Dempsey last summer, after it found that she was discriminated against by the university on the grounds of gender, family status and disability.
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