Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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The majority of primary and voluntary secondary schools receive assistance to provide for cleaning services under grant schemes. Where a school employs a staff member to support those functions those staff are employees of individual schools and responsibility for terms of employment rests with the school. The Department is aware of many instances where schools elect to contract cleaning services from appropriate service providers, according to their specific requirements and the potential specialist materials and equipment required. In instances where schools are using contract cleaning services, which they are paying for through grant funding, it would be expected that they engage firms which are compliant with the relevant ERO; where schools are employing cleaners directly, using grant funding, it would similarly be expected that they are compliant with the requirements of the ERO.

Fórsa trade union tabled a claim seeking public service status for secretaries and caretakers who are currently employed directly by schools and paid for by grant funding, but did not include any other staff similarly employed by schools. As the Deputy will be aware, agreement was reached in respect of school secretaries in February 2022. While secretaries were not accorded public service status, the agreement reached placed secretaries on a pay scale aligned to that of a Grade III CO in an ETB, afforded them additional rights in respect of certain non-statutory leave and commits that their pay scale will benefit from pay increases which parallel those agreed for public sector workers.

Any further claims for changes to terms and conditions of school ancillary staff would have to be considered in detail under appropriate industrial relations mechanisms.