I was employed by my university on temporary contracts and despite making local inquiries on a number of occasions to get clarity I was unable to get any information regarding my status.  Of course there are two sides to this - I think universities are in a difficult position as I understand finances are tight and they have to watch their bottom line but I felt I needed some certainty in terms of my contract.  

I joined IFUT, who advised me in terms of my position and appropriate legislation and communicated on my behalf.  Joan Donegan was extremely helpful and professional throughout.  As soon as e-mails were directed towards the Human Resources Department from IFUT, I started to get some answers.  It took a long time but eventually I got the resolution I was hoping for – which was the regularisation of my contract.  The resolution of this process has alleviated a huge amount of uncertainty in terms of my position and was most welcome.  Now I can get on with the job that I love without the feeling of such uncertainty and progress with normal life events like applying for a car loan or a mortgage.