Thousands of students to stage walk-out in protest of accommodation and cost-of-living issues

Students are being hit with 'long and unrealistic' commutes, high rents, and hyperinflation, said USI deputy president Maeve Richardson. File Picture: iStock

Thousands of university students are expected to stage a walk-out of university lectures in the coming days in protest of underinvestment in student accommodation and the high cost of education amid a cost-of-living crisis.

The protest will take place on Thursday and is organised by the Union of Students in Ireland (USI) and its member unions. It will call for the abolition of the student contribution charge which is currently €3,000 per year, comparatively one of the highest in Europe.

The Government announced a €1,000 reduction in the charge in the budget, which is set to assist 96,000 people, but the USI said it was “not overtly pleased” with it being a once-off.

“Students are very angry,” said USI deputy president Maeve Richardson. 

It’s just not a situation we can continue to sit about and look at.”

The students will demand further reform of the Susi grant, full investment of €317m identified as a shortfall in exchequer funding, and an increase in PhD stipends as many are struggling on the current standard rate of €18,500.

The Government allocated more than €40m in Budget 2023 towards the €317m core funding gap, but critics say far more is needed imminently.

Students will also call for increased Government intervention in the housing market, including a ban on evictions, new legislation to protect renters in digs, rights for tenancies under six months, the inclusion of a right to housing in the Irish Constitution, and a reduction in rents to 2017 levels with a freeze in increases.

'Completely unaffordable' ccommodation

The union will demand the State invests 40% in publicly-owned, purpose-build student accommodation (PBSA) to increase the accommodation supply for students and to stop the building of privately owned PBSA.

“We’ve seen the private, and luxury, accommodation blocks are completely unaffordable for students,” said Ms Richardson.

Students are being hit with “long and unrealistic” commutes, high rents, and hyperinflation, and have been granted just a once-off reduction in the student contribution charge, she said.

“There are students who deferred their course because they couldn’t get accommodation or they couldn’t commute,” she said.

“And now this once-off payment happens which could have helped, and those students are now left behind.” 

Department response

In response to USI’s demands, a spokesperson for the Department of Further and Higher Education said Minister Simon Harris met with the union last Thursday to discuss the challenges facing students.

The department said that:

• Mr Harris is working on a new funding model for PBSA and will soon bring proposals to Government on subsidisation of such accommodation;
• A further €8m investment in the student assistance fund has also been implemented this year;
• Susi grants for postgraduate students will also see a once-off €1,000 increase;
• Many PhD candidates will also receive a once-off additional payment of €500, and a €500 increase to the stipend baseline for the same students in 2023;
• A review of all PhD supports will also be launched by the minister shortly.

Housing Minister Darragh O'Brien has also met with student representatives to discuss available supports.