The Labour Court reduced Dr Ann Buckley’s compensation award from €5,000 to €2,000 on the National University Of Ireland Maynooth’s appeal, while rejecting her claim for a contract of indefinite duration. In a determination dated 24 February 2009, the Court upheld the finding that the university breached the Protection of Employees (Fixed-Term Work) Act, 2003.
The university argued Dr Buckley was an independent contractor hosted for externally funded research. The Court found she was an employee covered by the Act, noting the features of an employment relationship and the university’s earlier admission that she was an employee.
The renewal took effect on 1 October 2006, but the university provided written reasons for renewing her contract after that date, breaching the Act’s timing requirement. The Court awarded €2,000 for that breach. It rejected her claim to a permanent contract because she had signed a contract setting out the reasons for its fixed term.