Post graduate Workers Organisation hold protest in University of Galway
This morning at 11am on the University of Galway campus, the Postgraduate Workers Organisation gathered to protest over pay and conditions that they are struggling with.
This protest coincides with the march to the Dáil on the 23rd of March, which was also organised by the Postgraduate Workers Organisation.
With postgraduate students on average earning just under €18,500 per year, the standard of living for these students is decreasing rapidly.
Alongside the added pressures of the cost of living crisis and inflation rising, students simply cannot afford to keep going at this rate.
The post grad workers organisation are looking for a living wage, as the current wage that they are surviving on is nearly €2 less than minimum.
A representative from the Postgraduate Workers Organisation explained that “the key message is that {they} need to be paid more than €7.88 per hour for the work [they} do.”
And that helping subsidise the university “through teaching undergraduate and masters students” is unfair and they “deserve workers rights.”
As well as protesting the GTA policy which “cut the pay for lecturing in half,” this policy has also “disproportionately affected the most vulnerable of the PhD researchers.”
A review of this policy will be taking place in May.
However the request which was made to have a representative at the meeting of the Galway PWO has been denied by Donal Leech, the Dean of Graduate Studies.
All done with our signs and looking good: pic.twitter.com/YqEoAn40G8
— PWO Galway (@pwo_ug) March 22, 2023
