Striking Irish school secretaries and caretakers have won the right to be placed on the Public Service Clerical Office Scale, bringing an end to a four-decade two-tier pay system.
In what trade union Fórsa described as significant concessions, the Department of Education also agreed to improve sick pay arrangements.
Fórsa said the Department had stated the administration of secretaries’ pay would be centralised, with the details to be discussed over the coming weeks.
While work remains to be done on the details of a similar package for caretakers, Fórsa said the Department had agreed that the same principles would apply to them.
“No agreement has yet been reached on the provision of pensions, but the parties will try and seek a resolution of this outstanding issue in the final phase of talks on this long-standing dispute,” the union said in a statement.
Noreen O’Callaghan, who has served as a school secretary in County Cork for 20 years, said she was “absolutely delighted” with the breakthrough.
Mrs O’Callaghan said the school secretary’s workload had changed considerably since she started.
“When I started there were about 135 children at my school. Now there are over 420 pupils, and still the one secretary,” Mrs O’Callaghan said.
“It is unreal to think that we will finally be getting sick pay — today is a good day to be a secretary,” she said.
Dublin, 16 September 2021
