‘collective dissent’ | 

Ukrainian refugees push back against paying for their meals – and risk eviction

The Government announced earlier this year that Ukrainian refugees would have to pay €10 per adult and €5 per child each day for their food

Today at 11:10

Ukrainian refugees living in a hotel in Co Mayo have expressed concerns over a government directive that they pay for their own meals.

The Government announced earlier this year that Ukrainian refugees staying in hotels and other serviced accommodation would have to pay €10 per adult and €5 per child each day for their food.

However, this has been met with pushback from those living in the Breaffy Woods hotel near Castlebar, Co Mayo, which accommodates 333 Ukrainian refugees and 132 international protection applicants from other countries.

Ukrainian residents there said the food does not meet “healthy standards” set out by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and “is not equivalent to the cost offered” in a letter sent to management.

In the letter, they express their “concerns and collective dissent” and say migrants in the centre from other countries do not have to pay for their meals.

“The hotel management does not oblige residents of other nationalities to pay for meals, which can be regarded as an instance of discrimination,” the letter reads.

It also states that taking in additional asylum-seekers will “get in the way of fair distribution of food and result in failure to meet the food needs of the Ukrainian residents”.

Under the scheme, which was brought in to alleviate the cost to the State, migrants who refuse to pay would be seen as rejecting the housing provided and asked to leave.

“The direct threat of the eviction of Ukrainian families, in case of non-payment of food contributions, violates the terms of the directive on temporary protection in EU countries for persons displaced as a result of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, according to which the provision of housing is mandatory,” the letter adds.

​Signed by the “residents of Breaffy Woods reception centre”, the letter was addressed to Wilson Bird, the general manager of the hotel.

There are around 85,000 Ukrainian refugees in Ireland who have been granted temporary protection after fleeing Russia’s invasion. Unlike asylum applicants, they can work or apply for social welfare payments, including jobseekers’ benefit.

Asylum-seekers living in direct provision can claim a payment of up to €38.80 per week for an adult, and can apply for permission to work if they have not had a decision on their asylum application after six months.

The Ukrainian residents at Breaffy received a letter from the Department of Equality on July 17, telling them the new charges for food are “mandatory”. It also said any costs for laundry or pets will be “no longer covered by this department”.

“If you do not pay this contribution towards meals, the accommodation provider has been instructed to inform this department and you will not be able to stay in the accommodation,” the letter states. It also says cooking food in hotel rooms is “strictly prohibited” and falls under anti-social behaviour.

The hotel said it had been advised to refer media questions to the Government, and shared a statement that referenced the government decision last October to bring in charges for meals for people availing of temporary protection in “state-funded accommodation”.

“This was implemented with immediate effect for new contracts with accommodation providers,” it said.

The Department of Integration issued a statement, saying: “The management in Breaffy Woods are acting on instructions by the department to implement this policy since they have renewed their contract with the Department. The contribution is mandatory.”