The Irish Federation of University Teachers has said the Higher Education Authority must accept responsibility for its part in the overpayment of university staff by €8.1m.
A review by the Comptroller and Auditor General found that UCD overpaid top staff by €3.61m between June 2005 and February 2011.
UCC was next with an overrun of €1.64m, with Trinity College Dublin coming third at €1.5m while DCU exceeded Government pay rates by €53,000.
IFUT General secretary Mike Jennings said the payments give the impression that university staff are overpaid, which he says is not the case.
Speaking on RTÉ’s Morning Ireland, Mr Jennings said he had written to the HEA about their governance of the system and their obligation to oversight.
"I eventually gave up after writing back three times complaining about inadequate and incomplete replies from the HEA," he said.
