LIMERICK School of Art and Design is one of the colleges targeted by the Union of Students of Ireland (USI) and SIPTU, campaigning for workers’ rights and wages.
Athlone IT and NUI Galway campuses are also in their sights, recruiting action.
The two bodies unite on the road from Monday March 14 to Wednesday 16 with a petition for the introduction of a living wage and improved awareness of employee rights, that is supported by the Irish Congress of Trade Unions.
Politicians of all parties are being called on to support the initiatives, following on from November’s Government report ‘Low Pay, Decent Work and a Living Wage’.*
“Fair treatment of workers at all levels should be a key priority for any government,” stated Kevin Donoghue, USI president. “We will be advising students on their rights at work; how to raise a complaint regarding issues at work; how not to get taken for granted in their part-time jobs; and informing them about SIPTU’s Workers Rights Centre”.
According to the student leader, 350,000 workers (one in five) are currently classified as ‘living in deprivation’, rising to one in three for one-income households. Additionally, 95,000 workers were at risk of poverty.
*Issued by the joint committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation
