Fórsa has today (Monday) welcomed a significant Labour Court recommendation on pensions for school secretaries and caretakers, describing it as a major step towards addressing a long-standing inequity affecting thousands of workers.
The recommendation proposes a model combining the State Contributory Pension (SPC) and the new auto-enrolment system, MyFutureFund, with an ex-gratia lump sum payment at retirement. The gratuity is designed to bridge the identified gap with comparable SPC and Single Public Service Pension Scheme outcomes.
Under the terms set out by the Court, staff aged 40 and over at the point of acceptance would receive a retirement lump sum, calculated and payable on retirement from age 66, using a defined formula:
- Four weeks’ full-time equivalent salary (subject to the statutory weekly cap, currently €600)
- Multiplied by up to 10.5 years of service between 1st May 2015 and 31st December 2025
- Subject to a ceiling of €20,000 and a floor of €3,000, and applied on a pro-rata basis to part-time hours.
The Labour Court concluded that, taken together, this approach would deliver pension outcomes comparable to those available under the Single Public Service Pension Scheme. It also noted agreement between Fórsa and the Department of Education that an ex-gratia payment at retirement is the appropriate mechanism to address the specific circumstances of this case.
Fórsa head of education Andy Pike said the recommendation represented “a very significant development” in a dispute that has persisted for decades.
“This is the first time a clear and workable pathway has been set out to address the historic exclusion of school secretaries and caretakers from comparable pension arrangements. It has the potential to bring an end to more than forty years of inequality for a workforce that has been essential to the functioning of our schools,” he said.
He noted that the recommendation will now be considered in detail by the union’s School Secretary and School Caretaker branches.
The recommendation includes illustrative examples. A worker with full service over the 10.5-year period, working full-time hours, would receive €20,000. Those working 60% of full-time hours would receive a lump sum of €12,000. A worker with six years’ service over the same period at 60% hours would receive €8,640.
Mr Pike added: “Throughout this very lengthy process, the Departments of Education and Public Expenditure maintained that the auto-enrolment pension was comparable to, or better than, the public service scheme.
“They maintained that position throughout six conciliation meetings at the Workplace Relations Commission and throughout four Labour Court hearings. This recommendation recognises that a gap arises under current arrangements, and provides for a targeted pension gratuity to help ensure outcomes are comparable,” he said.
Mr Pike said union representatives would now return to the WRC as soon as possible to finalise the details of other outstanding claims. These include the new school caretaker pay structure, increased sick and acute illness leave and improved bereavement leave.
“Once that last phase of the negotiations concludes, members will have the opportunity to fully assess the pensions recommendation and the outcomes on the other claims, and express their views in a ballot to determine acceptance or rejection,” he added.
Fórsa said the recommendation acknowledges the unique position of these workers, the majority of whom are part-time and closer to retirement, and provides a targeted mechanism to address the identified pension gap.
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