Unfair dismissal of Dutch academic spotlights housing crisis

University College Cork (UCC) has decided not to appeal an order to pay €300,000 (US$325,000) to a Dutch academic who was sacked last August. He was fired after telling his employers that he was having trouble moving to Ireland to teach in person because of the country’s housing crisis.

Economics professor Dr Wim Naude told a Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) hearing last month that his career had been “ruined by UCC” and that he was working full time “trying to save my skin” since the dismissal.

Naude began working at UCC in January 2021, fulfilling his teaching responsibilities remotely. He visited Ireland in June and July 2021, as COVID travel restrictions eased, actively seeking housing but facing considerable challenges.

Naude noted the provision of on-campus accommodation for another professor but lamented the absence of similar support for him. Personal challenges, including his wife's health issues and his son’s autism, further complicated the relocation process.

The university claimed the academic did not intend to move to Cork for the next academic year, had acted to “frustrate” his contract and that it deemed the contract of employment to be null and void. But the commission ruled in Naude’s favour and awarded him the equivalent of two years’ salary.

No intention to appeal

The university has decided not to appeal the hefty fine. A spokesperson told University World News that UCC “accepts the outcome of the WRC”.

The implications are being studied, not just by other universities but by employers across different sectors as well. The ruling acknowledged the negative impact on Naude’s professional reputation and his struggle to secure new job opportunities.

The case has drawn further attention to the country’s accommodation crisis which was caused by a number of factors. These include a booming economy, a rapidly rising population including over 100,000 Ukrainians and a surge in asylum and international protection applicants.

Immigration and housing are the two most urgent political issues facing politicians in the run-up to local and European elections on 7 June and the next general election.

Government response to housing crisis

In response the government has stepped up new housing starts and is making greater provision for student accommodation. It is providing €100 million extra to create 1,000 new beds in Dublin and at Maynooth University. Of those, 30% will be made available for students who receive higher education grants or who are in National Access Plan priority groupings, at a discounted rate of rent.

It is also introducing urgent legislative changes to ensure that leases for student accommodation will continue to be available for the typical 40 to 41-week academic year. This follows moves by some private student accommodation providers to switch from the standard academic year to 51-week leases.

UK operator Yugo and the hosting platform Aparto – which is owned by the international property giant Hines – provide more than 4,500 bed spaces in Dublin and Cork between them.

Their recent switch obliges students to commit to 51-week leases for the 2024 to 2025 academic year which will increase annual rent costs for tenants. They say this is in response to changing demands, especially from postgraduates and international students. But their decision has been widely criticised.