Union dispute delaying grants - students

INDUSTRIAL action by Impact members in the RTCs is delaying the payment of student grants by up to six weeks, according to students who staged a picket yesterday outside the Dail on the issue.

The protest by the Union of Students in Ireland (USI) coincided with new peace moves in the dispute, which is over the appointment of additional permanent staff in the RTCs. IMPACT, which yesterday convened a meeting of the 200 staff involved in the dispute, says it has drawn up new compromise proposals which it will communicate to the Department of Education today.

USI called on the Department and the union to resolve the dispute immediately in order to prevent further hardship for students.

Students, their partners and parents are growing increasingly concerned that if an immediate resolution is not reached, thousands of students will not be able to afford to stay in college," said the USI president, Mr Colman Byrne.

The clerical, administrative and library staff involved in the dispute are operating an overtime ban and a ban on the use of telephones, which is causing serious difficulties for many RTCs.

Among the areas affected by the dispute are the late enrolment of students and the registration of night students.

The union is seeking the immediate appointment of 80 additional staff. The Department originally offered to appoint 40, but later improved its offer to 80 phased in over three years.