Council worker wins case to have college fees paid by employer

THE State may have to financially help public servants to do night courses which have no relevance to their work, following a ruling involving an employee of Limerick County Council.

A Rights Commissioner has recommended the council give a technician €2,500 to help pay for his studies of history, politics and sociology. The money is to help with fees for the degree courses he is doing at night in the University of Limerick (UL).

This sum will be in addition to €1,000 the council already agreed to give the technician.

The council employee, Gerard O’Donoghue, and his union, Impact, took their case for financial assistance to the commissioner after the council refused to give him extra funding on the grounds his courses do not have a local government or management focus.

Rights Commissioner Michael J Rooney ruled in favour of Mr O’Donoghue.

Although Mr Rooney stated his ruling was on a ‘once-off and without precedent basis’, a number of senior local government officials agreed last night it could be referred to by others seeking money to do degree courses at night.

Limerick County Council director of services Gerry Behan said: “There is an appeal period to go to the Labour Court and we will have to take a decision whether to appeal it or not.”

Mr O’Donoghue is now in his fourth year at UL and pays annual fees of around €3,300.

Shay Clinton of Impact, who represented Mr O’Donoghue, told the Rights Commissioner that Limerick County Council had no coherent policy as to what courses might or not be accepted for financial support for staff members.

In his ruling, Mr Rooney said criteria being used by an employer for assessing applications such as Mr O’Donoghue’s should always be clearly identified and be made known in advance to all potential applicants.

He said Limerick County Council did not observe these principles in dealing with Mr O’Donoghue and recommend a one-off payment of €2,500.