AN ACADEMIC has been awarded the maximum compensation of almost €124,000 after an Employment Appeals Tribunal found he had been unfairly dismissed by Mary Immaculate College, Limerick.
The tribunal was told that Glenn Hooper, Kildarham House, The Gully, Old Chapel, Bandon, Co Cork, had left a permanent job in the English department of the University of Aberdeen in 2003.
He had moved with his family to Limerick to undertake a 10-month contract with Mary Immaculate, with the understanding that he was in line for a full-time job. He undertook two further one-year contracts with Mary Immaculate. In 2006 he failed to get a permanent post arising out of a retirement in the English department.
Dr Hooper said he had been told before he took the first 10-month contract the post was "long-term" and the plan was for him to replace the retiring staff member. Without such discussions he would not have given up his permanent, pensionable job in Scotland.
The now-retired lecturer - whom Dr Hooper believed he was to replace - told the tribunal he was "stunned" when he did not replace him as he believed Dr Hooper "had been groomed for the position".
In a determination issued yesterday, the tribunal found that Dr Hooper had continuity of service with the college between 2003 and 2006 as a result of his contracts.
The tribunal also found that certain representations were made to Dr Hooper which had the effect of establishing an expectation that the fixed-term contracts were a preliminary to a permanent position which would be offered to him when they were finished.
"In the view of the tribunal, the evidence establishes that the claimant was led to believe both expressly and inferentially that he would be offered a permanent position."
The tribunal noted that there had been no refuting of a claim by Dr Hooper in an e-mail to the head of department in 2006 that he had moved to Limerick "on foot of a promise widely witnessed and verifiable that he would secure a permanent position".
In awarding the maximum compensation of €123,938 the tribunal said Dr Hooper's academic seniority has been "irretrievably damaged".
Dr Hooper had got a job in October 2007 but with significantly lower pay than he had received at Mary Immaculate.