Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire (Cork South Central, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

School secretaries have been fighting for fairness and equal and decent pay for years. They are absolutely essential to keeping our schools going. Our schools could not function without the school secretary at the heart of everything. They proved that, particularly during the Covid-19 crisis.

The Department of Education committed to placing secretaries on a public service incremental pay scale and give them a pay increase. In October 2020, the Tánaiste committed to regularising the employment terms and conditions and pension rates of school secretaries but they have been kept in limbo. There are two issues, one of which is with regard to where they are on the payroll and whether it is with the school or the Department. The other relates to the need for them to sign on during the summer months. It is the position of the Department and, therefore, the Government that they should sign on during the summer; not that this is the current situation but that it should be part of the offering. I do not believe that is at all acceptable. I hope the Taoiseach will agree it is not acceptable that as part of ensuring that we get school secretaries and caretakers decent paying conditions, they would have to sign on during the summer. That is a ridiculous proposal.

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