Limerick university pays out €300,000 settlement in employment related dispute
The sum of money paid out is revealed in the 2025 annual financial statements for the Technological University of the Shannon (TUS)
A technological university - which has three campuses across Limerick - has this year paid out €425,273 in a settlement and legal costs arising from an employment related dispute.
The €300,000 settlement and €60,000 contribution in legal fees by the Technological University of the Shannon (TUS) to settle the employment related dispute is revealed in the 2025 annual financial statements for the university.
TUS was formed in 2021 following the merger of Limerick Institute of Technology and Athlone Institute of Technology.
In a note under the heading of ‘Legal Disputes’ concerning the settlement in the new accounts, it states that TUS entered a mediation process as approved by the Department of Further Education, Research, Innovation and Science in relation to an on-going employment related dispute.
The note states that having taken legal advice and assessed the potential legal and resource cost impact on TUS, the Governing Body approved the 'Settlement Agreement' outcome of the mediation process at its meeting on February 23 2026.
The report states that “the Settlement Agreement provided for a settlement payment of €300,000 in full and final settlement of all related matters and for a contribution to legal fees of €60,000 to the other party”.
It states that the settlement payment and contribution to legal fees were discharged respectively by TUS in April and May 2026.
It further states that "the payment will be reflected in the Financial Statements 2026. TUS’s total cumulative legal fees on this matter amounted to €125,273".
Asked to provide more detail on the payout, a spokeswoman for TUS on Thursday cited the statement concerning the matter in the annual report and added: “To protect the privacy of our staff and students, we do not disclose specific details in relation to matters of this nature.”
She said that “all such cases are dealt with via the appropriate procedures and are reported to the relevant body in line with the Code of Practice for Governance of State Bodies.”
On Thursday, member of the Dáil Public Accounts Committee (PAC), Aidan Farrelly TD (SocDem) requested that the PAC to seek further information on the settlement and legal costs "in real time as we may not get sight of any detail as the settlement will be fully realised in the 2026 accounts".
Deputy Farrelly said: “I have concerns surrounding the circumstances that gave rise to the settlement disclosed in the TUS financial statements for 2025.”
TUS last year recorded a surplus before tax of €8.1m as the spend by TUS last year increased from €229m to €234.6m with staff costs being the main driver behind the increase rising from €127.99m to €139.26m.
TUS have the naming rights to the Gaelic Grounds in Limerick and the annual report shows that the spend on PR and Marketing Fees last year totalled €415,000 - up from €392,000 in 2024.
The legal costs for TUS last year totalled €210,000 made up of €53,000 in settlements and €157,000 in legal costs.
The report shows that President of TUS, Professor Vincent Cunnane received a salary of €213,000 in 2025. Prof Cunnane is due to retire at the end of January.
In her report, Chairperson of the Governing Body of TUS, Josephine Feehily said that 2024/25 was the fourth year of operation “and one in which the university has continued to grow in confidence, in capacity, and in ambition.
Ms Feehily said: “The period covered by this report has been a year of consequential delivery. With our seven-campus footprint now fully operational and the Strategic Plan 2023–2026 well advanced, TUS has continued to develop its position as a transformative force for education, research, and regional development.”
In his report on 2025, Professor Cunnane said that “TUS graduates are the most employable in Ireland. With 81% of our honours degree graduates in employment nine months after graduation — well above the national average of 76.5% — and 90% of our postgraduates likewise employed, this is a finding that goes to the heart of what TUS is about.”