NUACHTÁN SAOR IN AISCE VOL. 22 Issue 06. 15 DEC 2020
Student Independent News
WINNER: BEST NEWSPAPER AT THE NATIONAL STUDENT MEDIA AWARDS 2019
The President expressed his support for paying student nurses.
Ó’ hÓgartaigh gets grilling at council, but pledges support for student nurses,
President claims he will support efforts to pay student nurses in fiery Question and Answers session. Paddy Henry Editor NUI Galway President Ciarain O’ hÓgartaigh came under fire at the Student’s Union’s class Rep Council meeting late last month. The President, who attended the meeting to address concerns brought to representatives of the various schools and year groups throughout the University was heavily criticised by members for what they perceived as inaction on the part of the University in their handling of student affairs throughout the Covid-19 pandemic. Questions raised ranged from issues students have had around the student levy to access to campus and the potential for more in class teaching in semester two. President of the Student’s Union Pádraic Toomey put forward a motion at November’s Council in support of student nurses. The motion, which was passed pledged support for local and national campaigns for fair renumeration for their work, an increase in allowances and the ending of the exploitation. The Council commended their work and noted that student nurses were unpaid, under supported and exploited while undertaking clinical placements. They also acknowledged that they were at an increased risk of contracting Covid-19 during their clinal placements, The move by council came just days before a defeated People Before Profit motion in the Dáil advocating for the immediate reinstatement of the payment of student nurses and midwives who are in placements during the Covid-19 pandemic, among other measures caused controversy. Student’s Union Pádraic Toomey spoke of the efforts that would be made to get student nurses paid following the passing of the motion, telling SIN. “The motion passed so with our work with the USI, with their working group and with our own
working group in the USI we are hoping to help with their work there and to get student nurses paid.” Also passed at council was a motion mandating the Union to campaign for all unpaid postrgraduate researcher teaching to be paid fairly for their work. Such was the demand from students to have questions answered by Mr Ó’hÓgartaigh another Question and Answers session was arranged with him last Thursday where he further addressed student queries. Pádraic Toomey welcomed the president’s attendance at the meetings stating that the second session was a result of the students wanting “way more” from President Ó’hÓgartaigh “We had the President on to answer questions and students actually wanted way more from him so that’s why we had Ciarain on again for two full hours again on Thursday (10th December) answering student’s questions. During the second session Ó’hÓgartaigh pledged his support to student nurses telling those in attendance, “ I would support that , learning from the pandemic and the Covid crisis one thing I think we have learned is that there were people in society who weren’t valued enough. Healthcare workers are among those so I would support. I support the direction of travel on that It’s a HSE issue and it’s certainly a policy issue more widely, so the extent to which the University has a voice on it I would support the case and the campaign. I think that there are many people now in society that we value more than we did before and I think that nurses and nursing students are one of those groups .” Toomey welcomed Ó’hÓgairtaigh’s intervention on the matter “At the end of the meeting he said that he will come out in support of student nurses and he said that he will work with me on putting his voice in to doing that to say that student nurses should get paid.”
INSIDE SIN speaks to leading female artists on the lack of female artist on our airways. Page 6