Trinity College Dublin Students’ Union (TCDSU) council has voted to pay all union employees a living wage of €12.90 per hour.
Sabbatical officers will receive an additional €20 per week as part of the increase. The sum does not include holiday pay.
The motion was proposed by TCDSU President Leah Keogh and seconded by the union’s STEM convenor Zoe Cummins.
Speaking in favour of the motion, Keogh said: “This motion is exactly what it says on the tin. The SU as an employer of more than 20 students … I’m asking you to give us permission to pay our employees a living wage.”
“As a Students’ Union we thought it important to lead by example in the hopes that others will follow suit.”
In a statement to The University Times, Keogh said: “As a Union with more than 20 student employees, we are introducing the living wage in recognition of the rising cost of college; Trinity students pay the highest fees in the European Union and some of the most expensive rents in the world. Naturally, this is negatively impacting student performance.”
Speaking at council this evening, she added: “We’re in a financial situation at the moment where this won’t sink the union.”
“We’re hoping to set a precedent by putting this motion through tonight and hoping that others will follow suit.”
As the union’s president, Keogh is to amend the contracts of TCDSU staff to reflect this change by Monday, February 28th.
The motion stated that Dublin is one of the most expensive cities in the world to live in, and this places a financial strain on students. This strain can affect their mental health and academic performance, the motion said.
It added: “The living wage is intended to establish an hourly wage rate that should provide employees with sufficient income to achieve an agreed acceptable minimum standard of living.”
In addition to the five sabbatical officers and the editor of The University Times, students are employed on a part-time basis each year to work in the union’s two convenience stores, the Leap card shop in House Six and to supervise various student spaces on campus.
TCDSU also employs a number of full-time staff in administrative roles and to manage the convenience stores.
