School secretaries return to work after suspension of strike action suspended

A sense of relief was the overriding feeling for Coosan National School secretary Pauline Nally as she returned to the warmth of her working environment on Monday.

Pauline was one of an estimated 2,500 school secretaries and caretakers nationwide who, last week, supported by their trade union Forsa, took part in strike action for pension parity.

On Friday night last it was confirmed by the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) that Forsa and the Department of Education had agreed to engage in a resolution process which is due to commence today (Wednesday, September 10).

As well as looking for pension parity with their teaching colleagues, school secretaries and caretakers are also hoping that a framework for bereavement leave and critical illness leave can be implemented.

"It was a relief to return to work and be amongst my colleagues once again on Monday morning. The news broke late on Friday night that a breakthrough had been reached between Forsa and the Government so hopefully this is the start of what will be a positive outcome for all school secretaries and caretakers," Pauline said.

Having 10 years service as a secretary in Coosan National School, Pauline did not want to be in a position where industrial action was her only option, but without a Department of Education pension scheme in place for when she retires she took to the picket line.

"It was a lonely experience on the picket line last week, but I received great support from teaching colleagues, parents of pupils attending Coosan National School and the wider community," Pauline said.

Pauline said that it had been a stressful number of weeks since the school secretaries and caretakers were balloted for strike action in June.

"I was hoping that the outstanding issues would be resolved before we returned at the end of August but with discussions to start this week I am optimistic that an agreement can be reached in the days or weeks ahead," Pauline said.

Acknowledging that industrial action had been a "valuable experience", Pauline stated that the support she received from her colleagues and local community, proved the "value which secretaries bring to a school setting".

"We help to maintain a bond in the school environment and it has become apparent, in light of last week's industrial action, of our importance to the education system," Pauline concluded.

In announcing the withdrawal of strike action on Friday, Fórsa said the key element of the agreement reached at the WRC and designed to bring the current strike by school secretaries and caretakers to an end, was a Government commitment to negotiate comparable pension entitlements for school secretaries and caretakers.

Fórsa said this breakthrough represented the first time the State had formally accepted the principle that these essential staff should not be excluded from pension entitlements comparable to those available to teachers and SNAs.