Senator Harmon calls for fair pay and working conditions for researchers
Senator Harmon calls for fair pay and working conditions for researchers - The Labour Party
- Workers’ rights for researchers
- Fair Wages and new employment framework for staff
Labour Further and Higher Education spokesperson Senator Laura Harmon today called for urgent legislation to guarantee fair pay and full employment rights for research workers, following evidence given to the Oireachtas Committee for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, where representatives from across the sector warned of a deepening crisis in research careers due to low pay, insecure contracts and poor conditions.
Senator Harmon said:
“The standard of treatment for researchers in this country is utterly unacceptable and it was laid bare before the Oireachtas committee today. We heard clearly that precarious employment is not the exception but the norm. Research conducted by the Irish Federation for University Teachers (IFUT) shows that 95 percent of respondents agree precarious work is pervasive across the sector. At the very start of a research career, the highest PhD stipend in Ireland stands at just €25,000. That is almost 20 percent below the recommended living wage. These researchers carry out essential work in our universities and institutes, yet the State refuses to recognise them. That is wrong and it must change.
“I’m urging Government to legislate for fair wages for those pursuing a PhD and to deliver a sea change in how we treat research workers. Ministers regularly talk about the importance of research and innovation to Ireland’s future, but warm words do not pay the rent or put food on the table. We need action, not lip service. In many EU member states, PhD researchers hold full employee status. Here, they remain designated as students, a classification that undermines the value of their work and allows institutions to pay a stipend instead of a meaningful salary.
“This student designation strips researchers of basic rights. The doctoral stipend sits entirely outside the PRSI system, leaving researchers without access to social insurance, maternity benefits or income supports. It locks people out of social security at a time when housing insecurity and rising living costs already place enormous strain on early career researchers. Trying to build an academic career on low pay while competing for short term contracts has become untenable, particularly in the midst of a housing crisis. Affordable accommodation for students and research staff must be prioritised alongside fair pay.
“These problems do not end with the PhD. They persist throughout a researcher’s career, particularly for postdoctoral and early career researchers trapped on rolling fixed term contracts. IFUT highlighted today that this dominance of precarious contracts creates a culture where researchers feel compelled to overwork simply to remain competitive. That is not a healthy or sustainable research environment and it is driving talented people out of the sector altogether.
“Women and non-EU researchers bear the brunt of these failures. Women are disproportionately funnelled into teaching intensive roles, adding to already heavy workloads and undermining career progression. Non EU researchers face an additional barrier because they cannot access a scientific researcher visa without an employment contract. Instead, they are forced onto student visas that restrict their ability to work and live independently. This two tier system damages lives and weakens our research base.
“We are putting valuable research at risk of being abandoned by continuing to treat researchers as second class workers. Ireland invests heavily in education and innovation, yet we allow the people doing this work to exist in insecurity. That makes no sense.”
“I am calling on the Government to introduce a new employment framework for research that guarantees full employee status for PhD researchers, a fair and liveable wage, PRSI coverage and strong protections against precarious contracts across the sector. If Ministers are serious about supporting research, they must back that ambition with legislation. Researchers deserve respect, security and pay they can live on, and Labour will continue to push for the laws needed to make that a reality.”