Mr. Andy Pike:

We looked at those issues long before we started to ballot members and campaign. If a caretaker needs to stay on his or her current terms and conditions for whatever reason, he or she would be able to. What happened with the school secretary pay agreement was that secretaries were given the option of taking those terms, and 80% of them did because they worked out it was beneficial. Some 20% did not for whatever reason. When a similar agreement is finalised for caretakers, they will be able to weigh up the pros and cons and the benefits of moving across. They will be able to stay on their existing terms and conditions if they wish to. They would not automatically have to retire when they reach the age of 70. They could stay on their local contract.

If they move across into a new pay arrangement with access to the pension and they already have a pension from previous public sector employment, perhaps in An Garda Síochána, the Defence Forces or some other occupation, the normal rules on pension abatement would apply. They would not lose their existing pension. They would be able to continue to make contributions to the public service scheme up to the limit that applies to all public servants. They would not lose their existing pension. The normal rules on abatement, if one already has a pension, would apply.

We do not necessarily see any disruption in the labour market due to making this change, and that is solely because there needs to be an option for a caretaker to accept a new contract with these terms or to say that he or she is happy staying as he or she is.