[…]crises now: accommodation/housing and mental health. We are now calling on all students to join the Walkout, tell decision makers enough is enough and show the power of the student voice.” The main demands of the National Student Walkout are: Introduce protections for students living in digs Build affordable student accommodation Abolish the Student Contribution Charge Fund the full deficit in the HEI sector Funding to cover hidden costs Funding to increase counsellor to student ratios End precarious contracts Minimum wage to match living wage (including postgraduate stipends) Call an election now Chris added: “USI has been out on campuses […]
[…]to the Union of Students in Ireland’s general election manifesto, which launches today. In the Student Manifesto, USI also calls for the next government to introduce free public transport for all students, abolish all third-level fees and decriminalise recreational drugs for personal use. With the general election expected to be called any time now, USI launches its manifesto at a media conference in Buswells Hotel, Dublin this morning (Monday, October 14). The policy areas included in the Student Manifesto are: Housing and Transport, Access to Education, Democracy and International Affairs, Student Wellbeing and Inclusion, and the Irish language. USI President, […]
[…]Charge and no real announcement on student accommodation. The repeat of the €1,000 reduction in the Student Contribution Charge is again only a once-off measure as part of the overall cost-of-living package. USI had called for a €1,500 reduction now and the introduction of a plan to abolish fees over the next few years. The only measure that will help some students is the increase in the renters’ tax relief, but it is a drop in the ocean compared to the overall cost of student accommodation currently. USI President, Chris Clifford said: “In their speeches today, both Ministers Chambers and […]
[…]across Ireland, has been sent to every TD ahead of Budget 2025 and is published today on usi.ie. In the submission, USI says the Government has the chance to shape the future of this generation of students. Last year the USI pre-Budget campaign highlighted how the Government was expected to have a €65 billion surplus over three years, the majority of which it was set to put in a rainy-day fund while students are being forced to choose between pursuing their education and securing basic living conditions. And now added to the expected surplus is the €13 billion Apple has […]
[…]KC, Grainne Murphy KC, Nick Reilly BL, and his good friends and USI cornerstones, Alistair Rutherdale BL and Peter O’Neill. Throughout his life, Stephen remained loyal to his crewmates, composing letters and notes on bereavements and marriages, hiding his gentle nature behind a gruff, professorial manner that we could all see through. Those who followed him will remember him as a wise and patient mentor. And he was a gracious and attentive host, delighting in showing old colleagues around his adopted Prague in the months after the Velvet Revolution, eagerly pointing out the ‘blight of encroaching capitalism’ in the form […]
