Dr. Idriss Jebari, an academic at Trinity College Dublin specialising in Near and Middle Eastern studies, has stated that he was obliged to take on an unjustly amplified teaching assignment during the previous semester. He believes this was retaliation for his objections regarding the uneven dissemination of lecture responsibilities, leaving him suffering with severe burnout.
At Tuesday’s Workplace Relations Commission, Dr. Jebari testified further about the stresses linked to his unique position within the University, as the only lecturer within his field offering teachings on modern events. His workload was not just increased due to the number of lectures but was also further complicated because of the Gaza conflict. The situation called for a heightened measure of caution and self-regulation in his teachings, as well as requiring him to put in additional effort into his choice of words.
Dr. Jebari mentioned his distress over two situations in the classroom that left him feeling unsettled, despite the majority of the students showing respect. He also reported increased anxiety levels linked to a college protest against the war, which took place near his office in May.
The lecturer, who made his case to the commission without legal representation, claims he has faced discrimination and bad treatment due to his employment conditions. He is currently bringing statutory complaints under the Employment Equality Act 1998 and the Terms of Employment (Information) Act 1994. Dr. Jebari argues that his unfairly increased work burden during this year’s spring term was a result of him voicing concerns over labour distribution within the university.
There was no representative from Trinity College present when the evidence was submitted by Dr. Jebari via video link on Tuesday morning.
Dr. Jebari presented his case, arguing that workload distribution policies within his department were not applied uniformly, particularly disadvantaging junior scholars. He suggested that these policies favoured higher-ranking faculty members, consequently augmenting the work stress of scholars in unstable employment conditions.
Securing his tenure in February after starting his role as an assistant professor on a half-decade contract in April 2020, Dr. Jebari stated his need to prove that he was an active researcher and contributing to his discipline. He intended to present published work in his application. However, upon contacting his department head in September 2022 to activate his contractual right to a research sabbatical after three years of service, he was informed of a queue system, with another staff member outranking him.
Dr. Jebari’s sabbatical was permitted for autumn 2023. Yet, he had to commit to extensive weeks of work during this leave to prepare a tenure assessment report, as his request for deferral was denied by the institution.
The fallout from his sabbatical was significant, with Dr. Jebari reporting a twofold increase in his teaching load. During one academic term, his teaching commitment rose to nearly 650 hours, a stark contrast to the regular term commitment of two primary classes and between five to eight hours of other instructional duties.
Repeated stress resulted in Dr. Jebari suffering an emotional breakdown during a department meeting at the end of term, leading to him being granted medical leave due to severe burnout. The adjudicator, Davnet O’Driscoll, anticipates reaching a verdict on the case in the foreseeable future.