"We love our jobs, we don't want to be out"

School secretaries vow to continue strike indefinitely

It’s Monday, it’s lashing rain and secretaries in Cavan are standing out for pension parity and equal entitlements.

The group huddled under a bus shelter at Killygarry National School on Monday afternoon. They are not lifting phones; they are not looking at emails; they are not fulfilling any secretarial duties during the indefinite strike action. They want pension parity with colleagues in their respective schools, they want equal benefits, sick leave and holiday pay. The group is calling upon Minister for Public Expenditure, Jack Chambers, and Minister for Education, Helen McEntee, to allow them the same benefits as every other member of staff in the school.

They claim that the Department of Education is countering their protest by giving principals an extra day of pay to do their work. However the Irish National Teachers Organisation (INTO) has instructed all staff not to do the work of secretaries.

“It defeats the point, at the rate a principal gets a day, if it was given to us it would go towards paying our pension,” one protestor said.

None of the secretaries present want to be out on the picket line. Nonetheless, they say they are not stopping until an agreement is reached. They continued their protest at St Patrick’s College yesterday (Tuesday) morning, where parents dropping off children passed them by, and later in the day they went to Deputy Brendan Smith’s office.

“We love our jobs, we don’t want to be out,” they told the Celt.

“Being part of the school community is a big thing,” says Bernie Geraghty who is secretary at Killygarry NS.

“You have an impact on them [children] every day. You are the face they see.”

Represented by Fórsa, the group were supported by other school staff, who brought them coffee and treats, and stood with them outside. However, schools struggled to keep up with the workload as a result. There was nobody to answer phones or emails and nobody to sign students in or out.

“Some of the secretaries who were employed in primary school since 1978 have pension parity and have bereavement leave and all the other sick leave entitlements that public servants have, but we’re denied all of those,” Susan Fay, who has been a secretary for the past 26 years, told the Celt.

“I have no idea why, because we do the same exact work as other secretaries who have got these rights.”

“It’s not good,” the St Felim’s secretary surmised.

“We just feel like second class citizens working in a school environment where everybody else has paid sick leave, paid bereavement leave and pension rights when they retire.”

Susan said she only has ten days statutory leave, which everybody is entitled to.

“At the minute we have no pension, absolutely none. So that’s what we’re fighting for. Obviously if you’re working all your life it’s nice to have something at the end of the day, especially when other people who are doing the same work have it already, and our colleagues who are SNAs and teachers in the same building.”

Susan, as well as her fellow colleagues, would like to see a resolution “sooner rather than later”.

“We would all like to be at work, none of us like doing this.”

Nearly 27 years in the job, Susan says she has “lots and lots” of skills doing “umpteen” jobs within the school, such as doing Revenue returns, bank reconciliations, online claims for teachers and SNAs, and payroll duties. Meanwhile, some sixth-class dental forms are sitting on secretaries’ desks. The group describes themselves as “the ultimate multi-taskers”.

“I would like to see us recognised for all the work we do and have some recognition when we retire.”

How did secretaries feel when no agreement was reached during talks with the Workplace Relations Commission last Wednesday (August 27)?

“It was very disappointing,” Susan told the Celt.

“They knew we were going out on strike. They should know how important we are in each school.

“We meet all the parents, we collect all the school fees, we do the e-payments, the school lunches, we do timetables for swimming, but this doesn’t seem to be recognised,” she fumed.

At the moment, Susan said she does not feel valued in the workplace.

“Sorry to say,” she expressed, adding that this statement is not a reflection of her school but the government.

“It’s directed at the government, of course it is, especially the Minister for Education [Helen McEntee].”

Students who have transferred schools must be registered to the Primary Online Database, known as the POD, before September 30. The Department of Education pays a capitation fee based on the number of pupils.

“If they’re not on the POD system in September, the schools won’t get the capitation for them. Other schools who may have got students from our school who transferred over the summer, they won’t get them on their system either because I’m not there to transfer them, so all schools will be missing out eventually on the capitation grant if this is not sorted.”

Asked if she believes they will still be protesting by the end of the month, Susan replied: “I’m hoping that we’re not obviously, but things would want to start moving a little bit faster.

“Who’s going to do the work when we go back in? We’re going to have to do it in the same hours with no overtime.”

Bernie Geraghty said that secretaries can sign official government documents, but can not receive the same entitlements as other public servants.

“That’s a little bit of a slap in the face to us.”

Mandy Freehill who works in St Patrick’s College Cavan stood out on the picket line on her own for some time on Monday morning, before she was joined by other staff members.

“I know they’re all behind me even though they can’t stand with me. I do appreciate that,” she said.

“Anybody emailing me, I’m not answering any emails. If anybody is trying to contact me directly, I can’t do anything to help any of the parents.

“Our union have tried. They’ve tried working with the Department and they have been blocked at every opportunity.”

In 2023, secretaries were put on the public payroll. However the Department of Education said they would “re-visit” the pension issue, which did not happen. However, this does not make them public servants, nor do they get paid over the summer.

Senator Robbie Gallagher (FF) stood out with the secretaries and caretaker to lend his support to their plight. He described them as a “vital cog” within the school community.

“Unfortunately, because these people are not getting what they are duly entitled to in my opinion, the business of the school and therefore the education of our children is going to be affected. The sooner this issue is sorted the better.

“I would call on all sides, particularly government to show flexibility in relation to this. The asks that they have here are fairly basic.”

Asked if he is aware of anything his party is doing to help the situation, Senator Gallagher stated: “I know the feelings that I have are felt by many members of our party.”

He said this has been “made clear” to Ministers Chambers and McEntee.

“I’d ask both sides to show flexibility here. Everybody wants this resolved as soon as possible, these people want to be back at the jobs they do.

“They don’t want to be out here on a Monday morning calling for basic rights. Ultimately all disputes are solved, it’s only a matter of when so let’s fast-track, let’s get down to business, stop the games and get the thing sorted once and for all.”

Fórsa’s head of Education, Andy Pike, said: “We went to the WRC in good faith, but yet again our members have been left with no clarity, or pathway to a fair pension.”

The strike marks a major escalation in efforts to end what Fórsa has described as the “deliberate and indefensible exclusion” of school secretaries and caretakers from the public service pension scheme and other basic entitlements. The decision follows a ballot in which 98% of Fórsa members backed indefinite strike action.

Speaking on the industrial action a Department of Education and Youth spokesperson stated it "recognises the vitally important role of secretaries and caretakers within school communities."

"In recent years we have made progress in improving the terms and conditions of school secretaries. This has included secretaries’ pay being linked to any increases in pay under public sector agreements, improved annual leave entitlements, improved maternity provisions and paid sick leave in excess of the statutory requirement."

"Where a school employs a staff member as a secretary that staff member is not a public servant but an employee of the school, and responsibility for terms of employment rests with the school.

"The department will continue to actively engage with the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform and the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) and remains focused on finding a resolution to this dispute.

"During this action all schools are expected to open for all students," the spokesperson assured.