A DCU member of staff and their son were made homeless following the Incorporation Programme, which saw the Church of Ireland College of Education among others amalgamate into the university this year, according to TD Richard Boyd-Barrett.
The staff member, who has stated their wish to remain anonymous, continues to be employed by DCU following the amalgamation. They had lived according to a previous accommodation agreement for a number of years while working for CICE before being forced to leave.
Boyd-Barrett, an Anti-Austerity Alliance–People Before Profit politician and TD for Dun Laoghaire, told the Oireachtas on October 25th that a former staff member of CICE was evicted from their accommodation by the college.
He said that prior agreements had been established between the person with CICE to live in nearby accommodation with their son and that assurances were made that these employment agreements would carry through into Incorporation this year.
Addressing the Minister for Education, Boyd-Barrett said: “As a result of the merger of the former Church of Ireland College of Education and other training colleges with Dublin City University, a person and their son have now been made homeless following eviction by the college from the person’s accommodation despite assurances that accommodation, which had been part of their employment arrangements with the college, would continue to be provided.”
Minister Bruton said a small number of disputes had arisen in DCU during the Incorporation Programme. However, he added that as various industrial relations proceedings were being undertaken it would not be appropriate for him to comment on the dispute at this time.
A statement on behalf of DCU disclosed that as negotiations were ongoing it would also not be appropriate for the university to comment further. It said that mechanisms within CICE and not of DCU were dealing with ongoing accommodation negotiations between staff and the college.
“Prior to the completion of Incorporation, discussions were undertaken between the Church of Ireland College of Education and its staff housed in rental accommodation on the campus in order to facilitate alternative arrangements in advance of the closure of the College,” it read.
Another source inside the university said the dispute had nothing to do with DCU at all.
The staff member in question declined the opportunity to take questions from this paper, therefore the specifics of their accommodation agreement are as of yet unknown.
Speaking to The College View, Boyd-Barrett noted that legal proceedings could be taken by the staff member in the near future in the hope of coming to a fair resolution.
“The point is that they had a legitimate expectation that, as part of the transfer, the accommodation agreement they had with CICE would carry over to DCU,” he said.
Stating that the person had nowhere else to stay following eviction, he said they were dependent on friends and family for housing.
He added that the staff member’s trade union was now involved in the dispute to find a solution.
“My sense from talking to the person is that they just want somewhere to live that is affordable, which can rectify their current homeless status”, said Boyd-Barrett. “I think they would be happy with that.”
Aaron Gallagher
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