Alan Dillon (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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234. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the reason future employment contracts for school secretaries do not include provisions for bereavement leave and wedding leave, in accordance with standard Department contracts; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [9288/24]

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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My Department is providing a payroll service for school secretaries with effect from 1^st September 2023. The provision of a payroll service is part of a package agreed with Fórsa, the trade union representing school secretaries, following a series of engagements at the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC).

While this agreement includes revised terms and conditions it does not accord public servant status to school secretaries. The revised leave arrangements which have been included are statutory and therefore additional public service leave entitlements are not relevant to this cohort of employees.

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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Caretakers are valued and vital members of the school system. The majority of primary and post-primary schools receive assistance to provide for caretaker services under grant schemes. Where a school employs a caretaker under these grant schemes to support those functions, those staff members are employees of the individual schools and as such the responsibility for the terms and conditions of employment as well as rates of pay currently rests with the school.

The February 2022 agreement for revised salary and annual leave entitlements for grant funded school secretaries is now fully operational, and the lessons learned from that process will form a key element in negotiating and implementing a similar package for grant funded school caretakers.

At present work is ongoing in my Department to develop a comprehensive survey which will enable my officials to confirm their understanding of the current working patterns as well as the terms and conditions of work for school caretakers. In parallel with this, officials from the Department and Fórsa are currently in communication on this important issue. A meeting to being initial discussions has been scheduled for the end of February between Fórsa and Department officials in order to begin progressing the matter.