Labour Court backs Thomond College recruitment process, declines to recommend on interview complaint

In 1987, the Labour Court found that Thomond College had not acted improperly in filling two senior secretarial posts and made no recommendation on an internal applicant’s complaint about an unfair interview. The recommendation was signed on 14 July 1987. The Association of Scientific, Technical and Managerial Staffs argued that the College departed from past practice by advertising vacancies externally and that an internal applicant had not received a fair interview. The College said it followed normal recruitment procedures and needed to widen the competition because its pool of suitably qualified staff was small. The Court accepted the College’s explanation for advertising externally, saying its small staff made this necessary when senior posts became vacant. It considered that much of the applicant’s grievance about the interview arose from a misunderstanding and did not consider a recommendation necessary.