Almost everyone was happy with last week's new Partnership for Prosperity agreement, which will succeed Partnership 2000. In a world of collapsing Northern executives, dodgy TDs and tribunal overload, it seemed to be the one good-news story going.

The Union of Students in Ireland was not in good-news mode, however. Irate would be a better word to describe officers' feelings.

"We are frankly appalled to discover that students have yet again been excluded from an agreement heralded as a major step towards the removal of poverty from society," said USI's president, Phil Madden.

"The Government has set aside a package worth £3 billion over the next 33 months which will see the low paid and those on social welfare benefit greatly, yet nothing has been done to alleviate the financial difficulties many students are forced to endure. "In an economy that is driven by a highly skilled labour force, how can the Government continue to justify students living well below the poverty line?" At least part of the problem has arisen from the fact that the union, which at any one time has about 250,000 members, was only represented at the talks through the National Youth Council of Ireland.

Madden is not keen to criticise the NYCI itself, but says: "If you look at the range of people involved in the talks and the range of proposals that came out, the only large group of people that was left out were students." He is adamant that this will not be the case next time around.

USI had attempted to be represented fully at the talks. It started the process by writing to the Department of the Taoiseach in October last, but to no avail. Madden admits they could have applied sooner, but says: "This time we were just making a pitch in order to be seen as credible. We will be working in a very serious way for inclusion in the next agreement."