In 2004, the Labour Court recommended that a worker at the National University Of Ireland Maynooth retain the personal title of Professor and move to the Associate Professor pay scale. The recommendation, dated 18 March 2004, followed a dispute over the worker’s status and salary.
The worker had been a Senior Lecturer and headed the Centre for Applied Social Studies. The Irish Federation of University Teachers said he had professorial status but was paid on the Senior Lecturer scale, and sought the Associate Professor scale. The University argued that the Jean Monnet Chair he held from 1994 to 2001 was symbolic and carried no stated salary enhancement.
The Court said the University had recognised his status as Professor after his Jean Monnet appointment and had appointed him to senior university bodies. It considered it reasonable for him to regard himself as a Professor. The recommended pay scale would apply from the date of the recommendation.