Fórsa has today (Thursday, 4 September) noted the statement made by Minister Helen McEntee, suggesting the parties return to the Workplace Relations Commission for talks to resolve the school secretaries and caretakers’ dispute.
Fórsa’s position is that, at the moment, there is insufficient information available to indicate any future talks would be about how and when secretaries and caretakers can be integrated into the public service pension scheme. Bearing in mind that were a formal WRC process to commence, it would in all likelihood require the strike action to be suspended prior to the talks commencing.
Returning to the WRC (should a formal invitation issue) would risk a repeat of efforts to resolve this issue in 2022, when pension talks were shut down by the Department of Public Expenditure. There remains an absence of trust sufficient to suspend the indefinite strike action currently in place.
Fórsa’s head of Education, Andy Pike, said: “We know that being on indefinite strike is a huge undertaking and commitment for our members. That’s why we need to know that both departments concerned are committed to talks that would actually determine the manner in which they will be integrated into the public service pensions scheme, and subsequently discuss the technical issues arising.
“Our members do not believe that the forthcoming auto-enrolment savings scheme, due to be introduced early in 2026, is in any way comparable to the pension arrangements of teachers and SNAs. At the moment, we have no indication that the Government has changed its long-held position that school secretaries and caretakers should be happy to accept auto-enrolment, as they are not worthy of inclusion within the same pension framework that applies to all other school employees.
“The overwhelming public and political support for the current strike action exists because everyone can clearly see that access to the public service pensions scheme is a fair and just demand.
“In the interests of bringing the dispute to a conclusion, we would be willing to attend further exploratory discussions with the WRC and Government Representatives to ascertain if there is the basis now to proceed to formal negotiations. This would not require us to stand down the industrial action but would be an important step in building trust between both sides.
“All our members want to be back at work, schools need to return to normal, and parents need certainty that our schools are not at the centre of a national dispute. We welcome this intervention. It is a positive sign, it is the first engagement since the 27th August, the day before the strike, that they are interested in talking to Fórsa and our members. While there is not sufficient progress this evening to enter formal talks and stand down the action, we will be available for further exploratory talks without preconditions in order to establish if there is a basis to proceed further.
“I think anyone would understand given all that has happened over the past week, that we cannot stop this strike only to be told when we are in the WRC that, yet again, there is no prospect of accessing public service pensions. And that the Government position remains that our members can only have auto-enrollment not the same entitlements as everyone else who works in the same school.
On that basis, and with a mandate of 98% of Fórsa members voting for indefinite strike to achieve this, the union remains open to talks on the basis that there is real commitment on how and when we can see these workers access the same pension scheme as their work colleagues,” he said.
Join a trade union that wins. Join Fórsa.in