The Workplace Relations Commission awarded Niall Kennedy €30,250 after finding that the prospect of him qualifying for a contract of indefinite duration influenced Trinity College Dublin’s decision not to appoint him. The decision was dated 22 October 2025.
Kennedy worked as a Teaching Fellow in French on successive fixed-term contracts from 2018 to January 2024. He alleged the university ended his employment and did not appoint him elsewhere to prevent him qualifying for a contract of indefinite duration. The university said his cover contract ended when the substantive postholder returned from secondment.
The adjudication officer found the fixed-term work complaint well-founded, concluding that avoiding eligibility for such a contract was an operative cause in the decision-making process. Kennedy’s unfair dismissal complaint was withdrawn at the hearing and was not decided on its merits.