NUI Maynooth has been ordered to revise its appointment procedures and pay €10,000 in compensation after being found guilty of discriminating against an academic applicant on race grounds.
Dr Ronaldo Munck applied for a position as professor of sociology in the university two years ago. An Argentinian national, he graduated from Essex University and joined the University of Ulster at Jordanstown in 1977, working there for almost 20 years. In the mid-1990s he obtained a professorship in Durban University in South Africa. From there he moved to Liverpool University, from which he applied for the job in Maynooth.
He was interviewed for the position in Maynooth, but the job was given to a younger candidate of Irish origin. He decided to bring a claim of discrimination on the grounds of age and race to the Equality Tribunal, claiming that he was the most experienced and best-qualified candidate for the position. According to other academic sociologists, Prof Munck's work was widely published and he had considerable administrative experience.
In his claim to the tribunal he contended that questions or remarks implying discrimination against him had been made at the interview, including reference to how different the "Irish academic model" was.
According to the decision, the equality officer recognised that direct evidence of discrimination on the grounds of race was often elusive, but considered that in this case the claimant had established facts that successfully raised an inference of discrimination.
Under the equality legislation, if a prima facie case of discrimination is established, the burden of proof then transfers to the respondent. According to the tribunal, in the absence of any notes of the interviews, and given the comments made in the summary report after the interviews, the equality officer was not satisfied that Maynooth was able to rebut the presumption of discrimination. Accordingly the Equality Officer found that the respondent had discriminated against Prof Munck on the grounds of race.
She ordered that the claimant be paid €10,000 for stress suffered as a result of the discrimination and also that the respondent revise its appointment procedures. However, the officer found no evidence of discrimination on the grounds of age.
Prof Munck has since been appointed as a professor in Dublin City University.