BRUSSELS - Member of European Parliament Maria Walsh met with Head of the Association of Foreign Lecturers in Italy David Petrie in Brussels Wednesday to discuss the long standing petition he, and many other EU citizens, have put forward against actions in some Italian universities who are underpaying their non-Italian professors. Work on this has been ongoing since 1988.

 Following up from the meeting, MEP Walsh - the sole Irish MEP sitting on the Employment and Social Affairs Committee - will submit a letter to Commissioner for Employment, Commissioner Schmidt on the subject, urging the Commission to take immediate action to clarify the legal situation on this issue.

 In addition, MEP Walsh will engage with the Chair of the Petitions Committee - who only last week sent a strong letter in defence of the petitioners - in order to discuss further Parliament action on the issue.

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