Lecturer who secretly double-jobbed will get two pensions

By Juno McEnroe

Friday, November 20, 2009

A LECTURER who secretly double-jobbed by working in two colleges at the same time is likely to receive two pensions, it has emerged.

The head of one of the colleges yesterday defended its handling of the debacle, saying the academic may have breached his contract but he had in fact carried out his duties.

Engineering lecturer Fergal O’Malley managed to work at the Athlone Institute of Technology (AIT) while holding down another lecturing position in NUI Galway. He double-jobbed for eight years until both colleges found out in late 2007 and forced him to resign.

AIT president Ciarán O Catháin yesterday admitted to the Public Accounts Committee that the academic was likely to retain both his pensions from the colleges.

"It was a fundamental breach of his contract," he said but added the lecturer "had fulfilled all activities".

The academic, now in his 40s, had been lecturing 16 hours a week in the IT and another six to seven hours a week in the university. The double-jobbing only emerged after the human resources section of the university contacted the IT and his work number was checked.

Mr O Catháin said legal advice had been that the lecturer was entitled to his pensions as he had paid into them.

TDs yesterday voiced concern that a college lecturer could hold a post with so few lecturing hours.

Fianna Fáil deputy Darragh O’Brien said the lecturer had been on two salaries and two pensions for essentially working the hours of one job. The lecturer should have been sacked, he argued.

Department of Education secretary general Brigid McManus admitted the lecturer had also not paid back any of his two salaries to the colleges.

"They were not in a position to reclaim the money," she added.

TD Sean Flemming was shocked the colleges had failed to take the case to court.

"It’s a soft option out and there’s only one person carrying the can for that and that’s the Irish taxpayer."

PAC chairman Bernard Allen said the committee would ask NUI Galway president James Browne to come before it over the scandal.

This story appeared in the printed version of the Irish Examiner Friday, November 20, 2009