The Complainant commenced employment with the Respondent in 2001 and applied for a promotion in June 2017. She was advised that she had been unsuccessful in October 2017 and appealed this decision. However, she was informed that she was unsuccessful on her appeal.

In June 2018 the Senior Lecturer Promotions Appeal Board was published. A separate report was issued by an Independent assessor on the appeals board. There were a number of grounds for the Complainant’s appeal which included variations in scoring including where one assessor awarded particularly low scores compared to other assessors as well as incomplete, illegible or missing notes in her application.

The Complainant submitted that many of the issues which were outlined in the minority report were not referenced in the Report that was put forward by the Appeals Board.   The Complainant highlighted that it was irrational and unfair not to do so and that there were procedural breaches in the process on her application.

The Respondent disputed that the process was unfair and stated it would be hugely unfair on those successful to have to rerun the promotions process. In reaching their decision, the Adjudication Officer held that the employer and union(s) should finalise the promotions scheme as a matter of urgency and to take on board, if deemed appropriate, the general concerns raised in the minority report. 
https://www.workplacerelations.ie/en/cases/2019/september/adj-00017109.html