Ninth Level Ireland

“The impact of Covid-19 on children’s education will widen the gap between rich and poor and impose long-term losses of income for all students, according to a policy document by Social Justice Ireland. It warns that pupils affected by the pandemic face long-term losses in income and an average student can expect about 3% lower earnings throughout their lifetime …” (more)

[Marie O’Halloran, Irish Times, 14 June]

“Student nurses and midwives are set to receive a backdated promised Pandemic Placement Grant of €100 per week by 1 June, the Minister for Health has confirmed. The payment applies for weeks when the students in question were on placement in health care settings during the pandemic, and was recommended in a review by Professor Tom Collins …” (more)

[RTÉ News, 7 May]

“The number of staff at Trinity College Dublin earning over €300,000 per annum more than doubled last year to 13. That is according to the 2020 annual report for the college which shows that TCD’s operating losses also more than doubled to €16.37 million as it grappled with the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic …” (more)

[Gordon Deegan, Irish Times, 18 April]

“Sir, – I congratulate Prof Linda Doyle on her election as provost of Trinity College Dublin (‘Trinity College Dublin names Linda Doyle as first woman provost in 429 years’, News, April 10th). During the campaign, Prof Doyle made several key commitments to early-career academics, particularly precariously employed adjunct staff. At the Irish Federation of University Teachers hustings she promised to ensure they were paid for every hour worked in class preparation and marking time, and to consult with unions in determining a fair hourly rate …” (more)

[Niall Kennedy, Irish Times, 12 April]

“With the exception of the second World War, there has always been free movement for people between Ireland and Great Britain. This has also included the right for Irish and British people to work in either jurisdiction. Despite Brexit, this situation remains unchanged …” (more)

[John FitzGerald, Irish Times, 9 April]

“Student teachers are set to seek payment for work placements in line with other professions, including nurses. Delegations at today’s ASTI convention backed a motion seeking to negotiate a payment for teaching work by students during their postgraduate Master of Education Course …” (more)

[Anne-Marie Walsh, Independent, 6 April]

“Public service unions affiliated to the Irish Congress of Trade Unions have overwhelmingly endorsed the new public service agreement. The ‘Building Momentum’ deal will deliver pay rises of up to 3% over two years and unwind some cuts and additional hours imposed during the financial crisis …” (more)

[Ingrid Miley, RTÉ News, 23 February]

WSinn Féin spokesperson on Health David Cullinane has reiterated his call for the Minister for Health to immediately pay student nurses and midwives. This follows a Sinn Féin motion which was passed by the Dáil a month ago on January 20th …” (more)

[Sinn Féin, 22 February]

“IFUT members have voted by an overwhelming majority in favour of the new Public Service Agreement representing a 97% ‘yes’ majority in the ballots cast. The Agreement, ‘Building Momentum: A New Public Service Agreement’ 2021-2022 provides for increases in pay, commitments to reductions in working hours, restoration of overtime rates and protection on public service outsourcing, all of which deliver positive outcomes and potential for IFUT members and workers in the higher education sector …” (more)

[IFUT, 18 February]

[See also: Public Service Agreement 2021-2022 FAQ]

“A bill which would see student nurses and midwives paid the same rate as health care assistants is due to be debated in the Seanad this afternoon. However, Cabinet decided during the week that it’s not going to oppose the opposition bill in the hope of sending it ‘into the ether’ …” (more)

[TheJournal.ie, 19 February]

“Labour Senator Annie Hoey has accused the government of ‘playing games in order to avoid bad headlines’ after Cabinet decided yesterday that it’s not going to oppose the latest bill on student nurses’ pay in the hope of sending it ‘into the ether’. Hoey‘s Student Nurses (Pay) Bill 2020, due before the Seanad this Friday, would ensure student nurses and midwives are paid at a minimum at the same rate as healthcare assistants when working in the health service as part of their training …” (more)

[Adam Daly, TheJournal.ie, 17 February]

“While much has been written about the unsatisfactory position of graduate interns in Ireland and the JobBridge scheme, with deadlines fast approaching for summer internships this article will explore some of the rights and entitlements of undergraduate interns …” (more)

[Louise Kennedy, College Tribune, 14 February]

“SIPTU members in the public service have voted by a resounding majority to accept the proposals in Building Momentum, a New Public Service Agreement. Following a count of ballots in Liberty Hall today (Thursday, 11th February), 91% of votes were in favour of the proposals …” (more)

[SIPTU, 11 February]

“Sinn Féin spokesperson on Education Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire TD has commented on the decision of the ASTI to vote against the public service pay agreement. Teachta Ó Laoghaire said …” (more)

[Sinn Féin, 10 February]

“Second-level teachers represented by the ASTI trade union have voted decisively to reject the proposed new public service pay agreement. In a ballot, which concluded on Wednesday, ASTI members voted against the new deal by 79% to 21%. ASTI president Ann Piggott said the proposed agreement did not resolve the problem of unequal pay in teaching, an issue which the union had been pursuing for more than a decade …” (more)

[Martin Wall, Irish Times, 10 February]

“Student nurses have said they felt ‘abandoned’ by the Government after their placements were cancelled due to the rising rate of Covid-19. Students also question why the scheme from last March, where the HSE offered student nurses from first to third year health care assistant (HCA) contracts, has not been reinstated …” (more)

[Aine Kenny, Irish Examiner, 9 February]

“Student doctors who put their lives on the line during the Covid pandemic are not getting a £2,000 bonus being given to other health service trainees. Last week, Health Minister Robin Swann announced that nurses in Northern Ireland are to receive a £500 ‘special recognition’ payment for their work during the pandemic, while some student nurses will get £2,000 …” (more)

[Lisa Smyth, Belfast Telegraph, 4 February]

“I spent my Christmas break like most students: eating, drinking and defending the likelihood that I get a job with an arts degree to my family. A mostly comfortable existence after the flurry of first semester. Skipping right over exams (because who needs reminding), I came to what I call ‘application season’ …” (more)

[Mairead Maguire, University Times, 2 February]

“Sinn Féin MLA Órlaithí Flynn has welcomed confirmation of a £2,000 payment for student nurses on clinical placement involved working on the frontline on the fight against COVID-19. Órlaithí Flynn said …” (more)

[Sinn Féin, 27 January]

“When the government decided this week that over 2,000 nurses and midwives would be pulled from public hospitals in order to free up the senior staff training them, it did two things. Not only did it undermine the vital role that some 4,000 student nurses and midwives have played on the frontline of the health service during the pandemic by framing them as mere burdens on hospital staff, but it also managed to circumvent the thorny issue of placement pay yet again …” (more)

[University Times, 24 January]