Young Workers’ Network protests over housing crisis

news1

The Young Workers’ Network staged a protest outside Leinster House yesterday “to pressure government into making choices that benefit young people and workers.”

The activist group stood beside a Peppa Pig tent to highlight the inadequate quality of housing, despite rising rents.

Dan O’ Neill from the Young Workers’ Network drew attention to the current accommodation crisis among students in Dublin: “I’m sure any student who has looked for accommodation in the last month will be able to tell plenty of anecdotes about how terrible the situation is,” he said.

Despite a small turnout, O’Neill was positive about the impact of such actions. When asked why he thought more students from Trinity had not made the short walk to join the protest, he quoted the American cultural anthropologist Margaret Mead: “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.”

O’ Neill said that although it can sometimes be disheartening to see so many disillusioned people, he is inspired by politically engaged workers, such as those involved in the current struggle with Greyhound: “No one ever said that creating a fair society was easy. The reason we have all the rights we have today is because people, sometimes in small numbers, stood up for themselves.”

Among the protesters were Laura Harmon, president of the Union of Students in Ireland (USI), and Glen Fitzpatrick, USI’s vice president for campaigns.