Written answers

Tuesday, 10 July 2018

Department of Education and Skills

School Services Staff

Photo of Pearse DohertyPearse Doherty (Donegal, Sinn Fein)
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263. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the progress being made to address the discrepancies which exist in the rates of pay and benefits paid to school secretaries and caretakers; the action he is taking to ensure that these workers have pay equality; the efforts being made to end precarious employment in respect of these professions; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30740/18]

Photo of Richard BrutonRichard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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To answer the Deputy, the majority of primary and voluntary secondary schools in the Free Education Scheme receive capitation grant assistance to provide for secretarial, caretaking and cleaning services. Capitation related grants are issued to the majority of primary and post-primary schools to employ such staff.  Within the capitation grant schemes, it is a matter for each individual school to decide how best to apply the grant funding to suit its particular needs.

Where a school uses the capitation grant funding to employ a secretary or caretaker, such staff are employees of individual schools. My Department has no plans to develop an alternative scheme for schools to employ school secretaries or caretakers separate to the current system of capitation grant assistance.

Notwithstanding that, in 2015 my Department agreed to engage with the union side in relation to the pay of school secretaries and caretakers (and cleaners) who are employed using grant funding, and to enter an arbitration process in respect of same. The Arbitrator recommended a cumulative pay increase of 10% between 2016 and 2019 for school secretaries and caretakers comprehended by the terms of the arbitration process and that a minimum hourly pay rate of €13 for such staff be phased in over the period 2016 to 2019.  Grant funding used by schools to fund the salaries of ancillary staff is also being improved on a phased basis between 2016 and 2019 following the arbitration process.  These increases are in order to enable schools  implement the arbitration outcome for grant funded secretaries and caretakers (and cleaners).

In December 2017, my Department published circular letter 0078/2017 for primary schools and circular letter 0079/2017 for voluntary secondary schools, setting out the application of the third phase increases of the Arbitrator’s recommendations.  The circulars are available at:

Circular 0078/2017: https://www.education.ie/en/Circulars-and-Forms/Active-Circulars/cl0078_2017.pdf

Circular 0079/2017: https://www.education.ie/en/Circulars-and-Forms/Active-Circulars/cl0079_2017.pdf

The increases recommended by the Arbitrator are binding and must be applied by all schools who employ staff to whom the Arbitrator's recommendation applies. 

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