Matt Carthy (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

School secretaries and caretakers are the heartbeat of our school communities in many instances. Beyond the principals, they are the most public faces of our schools. They are the people who keep the schools ticking. It was a travesty that, for so long, they were operating under a set of unfair and insecure conditions. I welcome the progress that has been made. The big lesson for all workers to take from the school secretaries on all this is that the benefits of unionising and working together remain valid. My appeal to the Minister is to ensure that our school secretaries and caretakers get a fair deal. This is particularly required when it comes to pension entitlements and sick pay. There must be full equality between those who work in schools outside the ETB arrangements and those who work within them.

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