Take Back Trinity

STATEMENT IN RESPONSE TO THE MASS EVICTION IN TRINITY STUDENT ACCOMMODATION

We at Cut the Rent are extremely concerned about Trinity’s decision to instruct student tenants to vacate their residences on exceptionally short notice.

Student residents were previously reassured that they could stay in their rooms. Those living in campus accommodation are no more exposed to the virus than those living in a typical apartment block. Without warning, students are being forced out of their homes. International students in particular are being burdened with the expensive costs of having to find emergency flights to their own home countries, alongside the added stress of unclear and ever-changing travel restrictions. Though we understand this is an unprecedented situation, and that drastic measures are required to ensure the safety of both students and staff, these measures have served to make the situation worse for many students. Requiring tenants who have already left their residence to return to collect their belongings may also put these students in contact with the virus, a situation which could easily be avoided by allowing tenants to leave their belongings in their apartments until a safer, more appropriate time.

The college’s statement that they would offer ‘full support’ to students pursuing compensation from privately-owned student accommodation is a paltry offer. Without a guarantee of refund, these students have little indication of whether they will be refunded or not - at a time of severe financial instability and with the added costs of emergency flights. There has been no transparency or clarity from the college administration about the evolving situation, leading to stress and panic among students at a time of great uncertainty.

To this end, Cut the Rent is calling on Trinity to:

-Establish clear channels of communication regarding the evolving situation.
-Reimburse travel costs for those who must book emergency flights and for students who must return to retrieve their belongings.
-Guarantee a refund to all tenants who have been instructed to vacate their residence.

Cut the Rent also call on the Government to:

-Call a moratorium on rent payments and mortgage repayments for the duration of the crisis.
-Provide an emergency allowance to workers who are suffering financially.
-Free up vacant homes and hotel rooms for homeless people living in cramped emergency accommodation.
-Free up vacant homes and hotel rooms for people living in cramped direct provision centres.

Cut the Rent also wish to reiterate that we intend to organise around the college’s mistreatment of students once this pandemic is over.

Trinity have announced plans to increase accommodation fees by 4% each year. Tomorrow we will be joining the SU at 2pm in Front Square to protest these increases.

We are happy to be working in solidarity with students protesting rent increases in other colleges across Ireland. Together, we can build a movement to demand affordable housing for all students, as is provided in many cities across Europe.

Please join us tomorrow to Cut The Rent ✊

!!!

Rent strike!!

TCDSU Must Organise a Campus Rent Strike Within the Year If an on-campus rent strike succeeded in Trinity, it would set an extraordinary precedent, writes Cormac Watson.

Solidarity with the plumbers working on Printing House Square!

Pay up Paddy!

At Trinity’s Printing House Square, Plumbers Protest Underpayment A small group of protesters gathered outside Printing House Square today to fight the underpayment of plumbers working on the site.

Students advise Minister for Higher Education to go f**k themselves with a toothpick after suggesting that students can use the SUSI grant to cover accommodation costs.

Solidarity with the student occupation at Goldsmiths in London!

SMT have officially put a court order through to evict us. The hearing will be this Friday at 10:30am. This document is filled with pictures and writings including students’ faces and names and is filled with racialised language about us being threatening and unreasonable. Please share and get the word out.

Close the gates on exploitation! Support the workers building student accommodation!

*Protest tomorrow (Thursday July 11th) 6 am – 9 am*

Oisin House Student Accommodation site, Pearse Street

GMG Mechanical is carrying out mechanical works on the Oisin House project, where Bennett Construction is the main contractor.

The client is Trinity College Dublin, and the project is publicly-funded – in fact, Minister Mary Mitchell O’Connor turned the sod on the site.

But GMG Mechanical have been found paying workers less than the minimum rates stipulated in the Sectoral Employment Order governing mechanical workers. And Unite believes they are exploiting apprentices.

Not paying the rates in illegal.

It’s time to close the gate on exploitation.

Did someone say student rent strike? 👀

Well they should have! Student rent strikes work, as evidenced by the recent wave of student rent strikes by groups like RENT STRIKE and Cut The Rent in Britain. Broad, democratic and radical student actions work, as we seen ourselves last year.

We’ve got to fight these increases which will add to the heavy burden shouldered by students and lock others out of even considering Trinity as an option.

We’re not cash cows for the Provost and college to bleed dry. If they need to save money, they should start with their own enormous wages and vanity projects, rather than shaking us down for every last cent. We’ve been through this with them before but they seem to be slow
learners, let’s remind them again!

Trinity increases Halls and campus rent by up to 6% – Trinity News Trinity Hall and on-campus accommodation costs have increased for the coming academic year, with rent increases of up to 6% for some rooms. Rooms in Front Square, New Square and Botany Bay are due to see a 5.6% increase, to €8,226 for a year including utilities. This is the first time the price wi...