SIPTU dispute may affect examinations

STUDENTS in TCD face serious disruption of examinations and computer and library facilities in May because of industrial action by the Services, Industrial, Professional and Technical Union, SIPTU.

SIPTU served notice on the college last week that, from this week, its members would be taking industrial action in a dispute with the college over pension rights, to include a ban on overtime, a work to rule and strikes of up to five days in duration.

The main bones of contention are the issues of pensions for part time workers and the co ordination of the college's pensions scheme to bring it in line with other elements of the public service.

The college has argued that its hands are tied in both matters, since the Government does not want to set a precedent of pensions for part time workers and the HEA reduced TCD's funding by £300,000 per annum after it found the college's pension scheme to be overfunded.

The immediate result of the industrial action notice was the cancellation of this year's Trinity Ball, scheduled for May 10th, which is almost entirely dependent on overtime work by staff, and for which around 3,000 tickets had been sold with a total revenue of some £100,000.

The student organisers, who include representatives of TCD's clubs, societies and the students' union, are expected to lose in the region of £45,000 because of the cancellation. All evening events in the college have also been affected.

"My primary concern is the welfare of students," said Priya Nair, president of TCD students' union. "We are disappointed that this industrial action will inconvenience exams, library facilities and social events, including the Trinity Ball. The TCD staff office had requested that certain services in the college be exempt from industrial action, including security, the library service, exams and Trinity Week, but this guarantee was not forthcoming from SIPTU.

TCD staff secretary Brian Thornburgh said that the situation was being "actively considered" to ensure that all students would be able to sit their exams and that the college would "as far as possible" provide a service so that computer and library reading facilities would be available.

Students' union education officer John Walsh would say only that he was "very concerned" about any disruption to students.

The college is considering alternative venues for examinations, including the Point Depot and the RDS, and college authorities had planned to write to students informing them of the intended change last week.

The students' union, which is arguing that examinations should remain on campus, if at all possible, is understood to have requested that the authorities should wait to see if a settlement can be reached before making a final decision on a change of venue.