NUIG chair turns down equality meeting request
The chair of the Governing Body of NUI Galway has declined to meet elected Oireachtas members over their concerns about the ongoing gender equality issues at the university.
Justice Catherine McGuinness, a former senator and retired Supreme Court judge, says her role as chair of the Governing Body is “very limited”, and she has declined to meet with public representatives about their concerns.
Sinn Féin Senator Trevor Ó Clochartaigh wrote to Judge McGuinness seeking a meeting to “discuss concerns raised with me by workers representatives in relation to equality issues and their concerns as to the manner in which the university is addressing these”.
Senator Ó Clochartaigh pointed out that NUIG president Jim Browne has declined a request to meet.
“The President has rebuffed my requests for a meeting . . . I am quite disappointed at the attitude of management to myself and other representatives in this regard. I do not think it is acceptable,” he said before requesting to meet with Judge McGuinness.
Citing sections of the Universities Act, which set out the role of chair of the Governing Body, Judge McGuinness said her role is very limited.
“I am sure that you will appreciate that in these circumstances I do not feel that there is anything practical to be gained by my meeting you to discuss matters of management of the university. I should inform you that I have replied in a similar way to other Teachtaí Dála who have written to me,” she told senator Ó Clochartaigh.
However, the Connemara senator disagrees and has responded to Judge McGuinness. He said the taskforce on gender equality was set up with the imprimatur of the Governing Body, and therefore it has a role.
“I also understand that due to a lack of confidence in the taskforce, unions are advising employees not to co-operate with them. This surely does not augur well for an effective resolution of the issues which the taskforce is purported to address and would need to be examined . . . I am not trying to be vexatious or difficult in my representations, which I believe has been implied in a recent statement from NUIG.
“On the contrary, I believe that the opinions I am sharing indicate that increasing numbers of staff and students are expressing a substantial lack of confidence in the management’s handling of this situation,” he said.
He added that he would like Judge McGuinness to reconsider his meeting request. Judge McGuinness, in January, is quoted as saying achieving gender equality is a “complex problem” and not exclusive to higher education sector.