Students union debt forces subscription hike

STUDENTS must pay higher subscriptions to the Union of Students in Ireland (USI) to help resolve a financial crisis that is forcing officers to work without pay.

The union’s annual congress has decided to set up an internal investigation into how the debt situation accumulated.

Although the full extent of the shortfall is unclear, it is believed a six-figure sum is needed to balance the books. A major factor was the loss of funds tied up in the student travel group USIT which suffered difficulties after the September 11 attacks in New York.