Brian Stanley (Laois-Offaly, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

The question relates to the position of school secretaries. Currently, they have to sign on the dole during the summer, at Easter and at Christmas. They do not have set rates of pay, sick pay or pensions and they are left in a precarious position. The previous Minister agreed that they would use the facility of the Labour Court to resolve these disputes and try to find a way out of this but that has changed. What will be done for school secretaries who played a crucial role over the past seven months in terms of keeping schools going? They are the kingpin of the school in many cases and we cannot continue to treat them the way they are being treated.

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