The Labour Court allowed National University of Ireland Maynooth’s appeal and set aside a finding that Dr Theresa O’Keeffe (listed as Dr Theresa O ' Keefe) was entitled to a contract of indefinite duration. The determination was dated 4 June 2014.
O’Keeffe worked as an assistant lecturer in politics in the university’s Department of Sociology on successive fixed-term contracts. She argued that her employment entitled her to a contract of indefinite duration. The university said the contracts met temporary needs, including cover for lecturers who were absent, and cited public-sector staffing limits.
The Court accepted the human resources director’s evidence that the June 2012 renewal covered a lecturer on sabbatical. It found the fixed-term arrangement appropriate and necessary to provide tuition while that lecturer was away, and found no breach of section 9(2) of the Protection of Employees (Fixed-Term Work) Act 2003. The Rights Commissioner’s section 9 finding was set aside. A separate section 6 finding in O’Keeffe’s favour was not appealed and was not decided by the Labour Court.