SU Redundancies - letter in today's Examiner

Unshelved

Interesting letter published in today's Examiner -

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Student unions under fire for staff redundancies and suspension

TWO students’ unions have been sharply criticised in recent weeks for the treatment of their staff.


Trinity College Students’ Union (TCDSU) issued redundancy notices to five employees, but the staff, represented by SIPTU, were unhappy with the redundancy package and manner in which TCDSU acted.

The dispute is now at the Labour Court and SIPTU says TCDSU acted in a “cavalier fashion”.

SIPTU also claims that the Union of Students of Ireland’s recent suspension of a worker happened “completely outside due process and fair procedures”.

This dispute is now with the Rights Commissioner.

As former president of TCDSU and deputy president of Union of Students of Ireland (USI), I am shocked at what these two student unions are doing.

As trade unions with workers, student unions emerged through intense struggle for the right of students’ voices to be heard in colleges and at a national level.

They were formed on the principles of democracy, social justice, women’s rights, gay rights and for international solidarity.

Just as colleges are increasingly run like businesses with non-profitmaking courses such as arts and humanities being cut, it appears student unions, too, are now adopting the business approach.

They are rationalising, cutting staff and becoming mere service providers, focused on a business ethic and the bottom line rather than representing students and following union principles.

This is demonstrated in recent negotiations between SIPTU and TCDSU where, incredibly, TCDSU was represented by IBEC, the employers’ organisation.

Despite the stereotypes, students today face considerable challenges such as the return of fees — the ‘registration’ fee is now over €1,000 in some colleges while part-time and postgraduate fees run into thousands of euro.

Students must also cope with inadequate maintenance grants, the spiralling cost of living and, of course, access still remains a serious issue.

As more and more students work while at college, issues traditionally confined to the trade unions, such as the right to join a union, the race to the bottom and the minimum wage, must now be addressed by student unions.

This is what is so shameful about the student union actions.

To campaign for and improve students’ conditions requires building strong relationships with those who are on our side, for example, union and college staff and the trade union movement.

Students must raise their voices once again and reclaim their unions to make them what they should and can be: organisations that set the standards for the rest of the country to follow in terms of setting exemplary practice for employment standards, fighting for their members and promoting social justice and equality.

USI and TCDSU should start by acting as unions — not businesses — and treat their workers properly.

Rory Hearne
Department of Geography
Trinity College
Dublin 2

Crash

just from reading it, his opinion seems completely uninformed. his points may be true, but his only reason for arguing against them is the fact that the Union made redundant staff, which apparently in his eyes should never happen - not the actual circumstances surrounding it.

Plus it's Rory.

RuggieBear

ah me old class mate Rory.

Suppose he wouldn't go moaning about using SU money to go off protesting in Europe....would he?

Hitchhiker's Guide to...

Myth wrote:

Plus it's Rory.

...

Edwardius

*spit*, ignore them and they'll all go away, and take the sycophantic moral indignation with them. ***** the lot of them.

Crash

RuggieBear wrote:

ah me old class mate Rory.

Suppose he wouldn't go moaning about using SU money to go off protesting in Europe....would he?

Heheheh oh thats who it is eh?

Andrew 83

Here's Quinn's response. Not too impressed with it to be honest.

AS president of Trinity College Dublin Students’ Union (TCDSU), I feel I must respond to the letter concerning our staff redundancies from Rory Hearne as it is a gross misinterpretation of the facts and demonstrates a lack of understanding of the real issues affecting students (Irish Examiner letters, August 21).

TCDSU takes its workers’ rights very seriously. To say otherwise is simply untrue.

Is Mr Hearne aware of the fair packages all the staff concerned have been offered?

Indeed, it seems he is blinded by an anti-business stance which is, quite frankly, irrelevant to this issue.

While Mr Hearne notes that students’ unions were formed on many principles, including democracy, he fails really to understand what democracy is and its all-important decision-making process.

In a democracy, decisions must inevitably be made.

Last year, I and the other sabbatical officers were democratically elected by the students.

When we put ourselves forward on this public platform we were, of course, aware that difficult decisions would be inevitable.

It would be easy not to make any at all, but we had to act in a concerted effort to represent the broader student community who need the support of their union at all times.

Decisions cannot be blocked through a non-decision making process. This, in fact, would be undemocratic.

By casually referring to issues relating to the grant and student fees, Mr Hearne is distracting from the real issue of redundancies and student democracy.

Indeed it was only on this very day (August 22) that I was involved in a campaign in relation to the vital student grant issue.

Mr Hearne’s letter, which refers to ‘international solidarity’, would lead an innocent observer to wonder if he is really concerned with student affairs or just sensationalising this issue in an attempt to promote international socialism?

While he points out that he is a former president of TCDSU and former deputy president of the Union of Students of Ireland, he fails to acknowledge that he is a member of the Socialist Workers’ Party.

When I was elected TCDSU president, the slogan on my manifesto was ‘Action, not politics’.

I am determined to follow this through to the end and not allow TCDSU to become bogged down in political ideologies.

Real issues such as empowerment and inclusion of the wider student population must be to the fore if we are to be truly democratic.

In a society currently experiencing rising rates of depression, especially among young people, we must try to embrace and represent students from grassroots level to ensure nobody is excluded.

I will endeavour to make Trinity such an inclusive community.


David Quinn
Students’ Union President
Trinity College
Dublin 2

That was in the (Cork) Examiner?

[edit] Or copied and pasted from here?

Andrew 83

I believe it was in the Examiner but I copy and pasted it from USI's daily email.

Time Magazine

In fairness to Quinn I think he's fairly spot on on that one.

I agree - I think that it is a good response

Endymion

well that was a fairly decent reply from Quinn.

Tricity Bendix

Quinn to Win wrote:

Decisions cannot be blocked through a non-decision making process.

Buh?

Endymion

b.ie curious wrote:

Buh?

You've never experienced such a process? You're so cute and innocent. Try getting someone in authority in trinity to take responsibility for something, then withness a mighty "non-decision making process."

b.ie curious

b.ie curious wrote:

Quinn to Win

Buh?

cuckoo

Carnivore wrote:

You've never experienced such a process? You're so cute and innocent. Try getting someone in authority in trinity to take responsibility for something, then withness a mighty "non-decision making process."

I think that interesting sentence was about TCDSU's internal decision making process, not the TCD one.

Dave Quinn and Rory Hearne are both principled guys, at least in my experience, they're just coming from very different view points. (i think that's the biggest understatement i've ever posted on boards).

Right_Side

Good response by Quinn.

bombus

I like Quinn he said I really buffed out over the summer.