Standoff leaves college jobs unfilled

A STAND-OFF between universities and their funding agency over academic autonomy has left hundreds of lecturing posts unfilled despite colleges being given an exemption from the ban on public service recruitment.

Only three applications have been made to fill hundreds of academic vacancies in the seven universities since new arrangements for third level colleges took effect in July, according to figures obtained by the Irish Examiner.

But 18 other third level colleges also funded through the Higher Education Authority (HEA) have sought to replace the equivalent of almost 500 academic posts in the same period, and all but eight have been sanctioned.

The row between the universities and the HEA, described by one senior university administrator as a “Mexican stand-off”, centres around whether the authority’s employment control framework (ECF) breaches the 1997 Universities Act.

The rules of the ECF govern all state-funded third level colleges, allowing them some exemptions from the moratorium on public service recruitment. It means up to one-in-three vacancies in academic posts at each college can be filled, subject to HEA approval.

Under the act, universities are supposed to be independent in how they use their funding, and they are now opposing appointments being subject to sanction from an outside body. The ECF allows for appointment of non-academic staff only in very exceptional circumstances, subject to prior approval from the HEA and sanction by the Department of Education and the Department of Finance.

Since the framework came into effect on July 1, the 14 institutes of technology have sought approval for the equivalent of 489 full-time academic posts and were approved to fill 481. All but five of the 113 full-time equivalent research posts which they sought to fill were approved.

However, of 134 non-academic vacancies they sought to fill, only six were approved. It is understood that most of those appointments to be approved have been lab technicians.

Only National University of Ireland Galway (NUIG) has applied for any posts in the university sector, and all three academic positions it sought to fill since July 1 were approved by the HEA.

The seven universities are represented by the Irish Universities Association (IUA), which said they are working towards a target reduction of 3% in staff numbers by year’s end relative to the end of 2008.

The Irish Federation of University Teachers (IFUT), which has also questioned the legality of the ECF because of the implications for institutional autonomy, said there is very little difference between co-operating with a system that only sanctions a tiny fraction of vacancies and not co-operating resulting in no replacements.

“We want to see all positions filled, because everyone left vacant has a direct impact on the delivery of a quality education to students,” said IFUT general secretary Mike Jennings.