Ninth Level Ireland

“Student nurses will be paid for working in the health service for the duration of the Covid-19 pandemic, Health Minister Simon Harris has confirmed. Around 4,000 student nurses and midwives will be offered a contract as a Healthcare Assistant – which commands a salary of around €28,000 per year – and be paid accordingly …” (more)

[Hugh O’Connell, Independent, 26 March]

“Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has said the Government is examining the issue of student nurses working in hospitals during the Covid-19 emergency and not getting paid. He said the Minister Health Simon Harris would have proposals on the issue shortly …” (more)

[Aisling Kenny, RTÉ News, 25 March]

“The Union of Students in Ireland is calling for student nurses to be paid during the current health crisis. Standard practice means hundreds are in unpaid placements across the country to earn enough hours to get qualified …” (more)

[Irish Examiner, 25 March]

“Sinn Féin Senator Máire Devine has called on the government to ensure that any student nurse who is working in the health service during this crisis be paid for their vital work. Speaking this morning, Seanadóir Devine said …” (more)

[Sinn Féin, 24 March]

“Student nurses working in hospitals during the Covid-19 pandemic must be paid for their work, the Labour Party Health spokesman has urged. As previously reported by the Irish Examiner, the head of the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO) has called for student nurses and midwives on unpaid placements during the Covid-19 pandemic to be treated as paid employees …” (more)

[Jess Casey, Irish Examiner, 24 March]

“Student nurses and midwives completing unpaid placements during the Covid-19 pandemic should be taken on as paid employees during the crisis, the head of the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO) has urged …” (more)

[Jess Casey, Irish Examiner, 23 March]

“Businesses on UCD campus and around Ireland have abruptly shut down due to the university shutdown, which has affected their staff. This is one of many disruptive changes on campus during the COVID-19 pandemic. The UCD Clubhouse has been forced to close its doors for an indeterminate length of time. While many students would give their right arm to be back there now, the closure means uncertainty for its staff. The bar has committed to pay all full-time salaried staff and also part-time staff up to the end of the current published roster …” (more)

[Conor Paterson, College Tribune, 22 March]

“Following major backlash from postgraduate students, Trinity’s Finance Committee has confirmed the restoration of pay rates for casual staff to their previous levels. Last month, The University Times reported that Trinity’s casual workers – including many TAs and postgraduate students – were facing pay cuts of almost 20% for their teaching duties …” (more)

[Alex Connolly, University Times, 3 March]

“Students joined forces with university staff in Belfast yesterday as staff started 14 days of strike action. Members of the University and College Union (UCU) from Queen’s University, Belfast, Ulster University and the Open University were among those calling for action yesterday on pay and pensions …” (more)

[Allan Preston, Belfast Telegraph, 21 February]

“So the latest round of strikes by members of the University and College Union (UCU) began today. There will be fourteen days of strikes spread over four weeks between now and 13th March. The cause of the long-running dispute is twofold …” (more)

[In the Dark, 20 February]

“Some lecturers at universities in Northern Ireland are beginning 14 days of strike action on Thursday. The action by University and College Union (UCU) members is due to a long-running dispute about pay and pensions …” (more)

[Robbie Meredith, BBC News, 20 February]

“Casual Teaching Staff in Trinity College Dublin are raising questions about the legality of their employment as talks to possible pay cuts are underway. Several Teaching Assistants, who are employed by Colleges to give seminars, lab demonstrations and the occasional lecture have expressed how they feel ‘exploited’ and undervalued’ in how they are treated by the college …” (more)

[Anja Zauers, The College View, 19 February]

“PhD students have expressed their anger during a townhall meeting this evening at a decision approved by College’s finance committee to cut the pay of casual staff who work as lab demonstrators. The decision to cut pay was temporarily reversed on Tuesday at a meeting of the finance committee, and a final decision has been deferred to a future meeting …” (more)

[Finn Purdy, Shannon Connolly and Madalyn Williams, Trinity News, 5 February]

“The next government is facing potentially more industrial unrest in schools as the Association of Secondary Teachers Ireland (ASTI) on Tuesday said it expected its members to resoundingly back industrial action in a forthcoming ballot. About 450 second level schools as well as institutes of technology and centres of further education were closed on Tuesday as a result of a one-day stoppage by members of the Teachers’ Union of Ireland (TUI) over lower pay arrangements for staff recruited since 2011 …” (more)

[Martin Wall and Sarah Burns, Irish Times, 4 February]

“Trinity has rowed back on its decision to cut the hourly teaching pay of students and staff employed on a casual basis, hours after postgraduates protested against the reduction outside a meeting of the College’s Finance Committee. The decision was made at today’s meeting of the committee, as nearly 80 postgraduate students protested against the pay cuts outside House One …” (more)

[Donal MacNamee and Cormac Watson, University Times, 4 February]

“The Chair of the Kerry branch of the Teachers’ Union of Ireland says members will be reluctantly taking to the picket line today. Over 400 members of the TUI in Kerry will strike today as part of an ongoing row with Government over what the union says is a two-tier pay system, which is discriminatory and unfair for new entrants …” (more)

[Radio Kerry, 4 February]

“Queen’s University and Ulster University face further strike action from many lecturers and support staff. University and College Union (UCU) members at both universities previously walked out for eight days in November and December 2019. The union has now said its members will strike for a further 14 days from Thursday, 20 February …” (more)

[Robbie Meredith, BBC News, 4 February]

“Trinity’s casual workers – including many TAs and postgraduate students – could face pay cuts of almost 20% for their teaching duties, The University Times has learned. An internal memorandum circulated at Trinity’s Finance Committee, obtained by The University Times, shows some areas of casual pay may be cut by between 10% and 20% …” (more)

[Donal MacNamee, University Times, 3 February]

“Teaching staff at both Dundalk Institute of Technology (DkIT) and O’Fiaich College and Institute of Further Education are set to engage in strike action tomorrow (Tuesday), after talks at the Workplace Relations Commission failed to produce any progress in a long running dispute over what the Teachers Union of Ireland (TUI) describe as ‘pay discrimination’ …” (more)

[Donard McCabe, Dundalk Democrat, 3 February]

“Secondary School union the ASTI has dismissed suggestions strike action by TUI members amounts to election blackmail. Hundreds of schools are set to close tomorrow due to strike action by the Teachers Union of Ireland over pay parity for new entrants …” (more)

[Irish Examiner, 3 February]