TASC presentation on the Minimum Wage

The Minimum Wage presentation given by TASC last Tuesday to the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Enterprise, Trade and Employment is now available for download on their site here

Experts set to support return of student fees (via Ninth Level Ireland)

"A key report examining higher education in Ireland is set to back new student fees, its chairman Dr Colin Hunt has said. In a series of recent briefings to groups involved in education, Dr Hunt acknowledged the financial crisis facing higher education and the urgent need for what he called new forms of 'non-State funding' …" (more) [Sean Flynn and Barry Roche, Irish Times, 21 July] … Read More

via Ninth Level Ireland

USI Condemns Leaks from Forthcoming Hunt Report (via Ninth Level Ireland)

“The Union of Students in Ireland has condemned reports that the Hunt group is to support the reintroduction of Higher Education tuition fees for the students of this country. USI strongly disagrees with Dr. Colin Hunt’s opinion that new forms of ‘non-State funding’ are necessary to solve the financial crisis facing Irish third level institutes …” (more) [Irish Press Releases, 21 July] … Read More

via Ninth Level Ireland

Bank Guarantee Scheme documents released (via politicalreform.ie)

Posted by Eoin O'Malley (15 July, 2010) Even if there is no inquiry into the events leading to the decision on the Bank Guarantee Scheme, the Dáil Public Accounts Committee release of many of the relevant documents today, should allow us to draw some conclusions about the adequacy of the process, information etc. The documents are available here, there should be 56 up by the end of the day. It would be useful if there were some sort if Inquiry wh … Read More

via politicalreform.ie

Over 1,000 college jobs may go in cuts (via Ninth Level Ireland)

"More than 1,100 jobs in colleges will be lost by the end of this year because of Government cuts. New Higher Education Authority (HEA) figures reveal the full scale of job losses since the Employment Control Framework began in December 2008 …" (more) [Seán Flynn, Irish Times, 15 July] … Read More

via Ninth Level Ireland

CPSU General Secretary Attempts to undermine Union Executive Committee on Croke Park (via Kerry Public Service Workers’ Alliance)

Statement from CPSU Executive Committee Members. Dear Colleague, The below-named members of the CPSU Executive Committee wish to place on record our objection to and distance ourselves from, the recent public and internal statements of our General Secretary, Blair Horan, regarding the Croke Park deal. In doing so we also wish to clarify what we believe to be the true position taken from the Executive Committee meeting of 24th June, 2010 regarding … Read More

via Kerry Public Service Workers' Alliance

Cuts putting ‘unsustainable’ pressure on universities (via Ninth Level Ireland)

“Severe cuts in university funding, at a time when the sector faces record student demand, is placing ‘unsustainable pressures’ on colleges, the new president of Dublin City University warned yesterday. Prof Brian MacCraith said while increased commercial activities and philanthropy would help, the cutbacks in exchequer funding would continue to take their toll …” (more) [Seán Flynn, Irish Times, 14 July] … Read More

via Ninth Level Ireland

The knowledge crisis (via Ninth Level Ireland)

“… A final dimension concerns our universities. If we accept that they play a privileged role in any society in the generation of knowledge, then the failure to generate more critical knowledge in Irish society over recent decades does raise serious questions for our universities. One might expect that this would stimulate a debate within the universities …” (more) [Peadar Kirby, Progressive Economy @ TASC, 2 July] … Read More

via Ninth Level Ireland