Mattie McGrath (Tipperary, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I am delighted to speak on this important issue. I support the decision of school secretaries to commence industrial action, which began with a 68% turnout on 20 September last. That does not happen lightly. These school secretaries want to be in their jobs and in their places of work. They do not want to be taking industrial action. We praised the Minister last night for the action he took to restore the status of history - stair - as a school subject. I hope he will be able to take action in this case. There is huge resistance to such action on the part of senior officials in the Department of Education and Skills. They need to be told who is the boss. The Minister is the elected accountable person here. He is in charge of the Department. Too many Ministers are allowing officialdom in the permanent government to dictate what goes on.

The secretary is often the glue that holds a school together. Secretaries act as co-ordinators and as a kind of buffer between parents and school staff. They deal with many issues. They are on the front line of contact at all times. It can be an extremely difficult role with a significant workload. Most school secretaries like what they do and enjoy their work. As I understand it, the majority of them are represented by the trade union Fórsa. Even though Fórsa has informed us that nine out of ten secretaries perform functions that are equivalent to or exceed the work of public service workers, they have been excluded from accessing equivalent rights, such as salary scales, sick pay and pensions. That is wrong. Would the same approach be applied to senior civil servants? It most certainly would not. I am appalled to think that senior civil servants are blocking this by standing in the way of it.

It is hard to avoid Fórsa's conclusion that there is a two-tier pay system that leaves most school secretaries earning just €12,500 a year with irregular short-term contracts that force them to sign on during the summer holidays and other school breaks. We need parity of esteem here. Most importantly, we need to honour and respect the role played by school secretaries on an ongoing basis. It is time for this to be resolved. Many of these secretaries were initially employed under community employment schemes over the years. They have grown into the job, which they do with aplomb and respect for the teaching staff, the children, the students, na daltaí and the parents and guardians. It is time they got parity of esteem. I hope the Minister will see his way to ensuring that happens.

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