School secretaries and caretakers are essential to the running of schools, says Sligo/Leitrim senator

The Government needs to step up with a last minute resolution to the looming strike involving school secretaries and caretakers, Sligo/Leitrim Senator Nessa Cosgrove has said this week.

Speaking following a well-attended meeting at Fórsa's Sligo offices, the former youth worker said: "Many schools are due to start back next week and they are going to be looking straight into a strike by two of the most essential worker groups in the education sector. It is quite unbelievable that the Minister for Education has not stepped in to resolve this dispute already.  As it stands, next Thursday, August 28, school secretaries and caretakers will be leaving their workplaces, and they will not be returning until the Government meets their reasonable demands."

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Senator Cosgrove elaborated: "These workers do not want to go on strike. They are dedicated servants of the public who love their jobs, and their school communities. This is a dispute about equality, fairness and basic employment rights."

She noted that at the moment teachers, SNAs and principals have certain benefits which are not given to secretaries or caretakers. "These include a universal contract of employment, sick and bereavement leave, beyond the legal minimum and, most crucially of all, an occupational pension. The Minister for Education knows that secretaries and caretakers are some of the most dedicated members of our workforce. They are often the first people into school in the morning, and remain long after school closes. They make sure that everything runs smoothly, and that the school buildings are safe to enter. Who is blocking this common-sense deal, the Department of Education or that of Public Expenditure. I struggle to see how schools can safely and effectively open, at all, without these essential workers."

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Senator Cosgrove concluded: "The Minister, along with the Department and Minister for Public Expenditure, need to develop a sense of urgency and provide these crucial, highly skilled workers with fair treatment immediately. The responsibility for this strike, if not avoided through negotiation, will lie solely with the Government."