All-Student Referendum Called on Opposing Fee and Accommodation Increases
Eoin McCaul
From January 24-26, Queen’s University Belfast’s Students’ Union will be holding an all-student referendum on taking further action to oppose the increases to accommodation fees and postgraduate tuition fees due to take effect in the next academic year.
The referendum will be held to determine the opinion of the student body on three motions demanding that Queen’s University pay its fair share towards students’ cost of survival, reverse the increases in accommodation and tuition fees, and invest its substantial financial assets in student owned co-operatives.
Student demands include a call for Queen’s University to work with Translink to subsidise the cost of transport, with local eateries to subsidise food costs, and with energy distributors to provide a discount for students.
Additionally, the referendum calls for QUB to further invest in assets to host democratically owned food and energy production facilities to be run by students to ensure that their welfare is prioritised.
The proposal states:
Students are suffering in this cost-of-living crisis, exposed and vulnerable to exploitation from those profiting from the difficulties of others. Landlords can increase rent, energy companies can raise prices, food suppliers can charge more for basics necessities. Their profits increase while students suffer.
Energy, food, and housing resources are not controlled institutions that prioritise student welfare.
All students can vote on any one or all of the three referendums.
If the referendum passes and demands are not met then the Students’ Union may resort to ‘radical political action’ such as demonstrations, civil disobedience, and rent strikes in QUB accommodation.
More information on the referendum is available here.
Eoin McCaul is Head Comment editor at The Scoop and a Politics, Philosophy and Economics student at Queen’s University Belfast