Johnny Guirke (Meath West, Sinn Fein)
Link to this: Individually | In context

838. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if she will outline, given the significant disparities in terms and conditions between school secretaries and their peers, including the lack of sick pay, family leave, and equitable pension rights, the steps she is taking to ensure that school secretaries receive the same employment benefits as special needs assistants and teachers; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [19080/25]

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Entitlement to specific employment terms and conditions is determined by a number of factors, including the nature of the role to be undertaken by the individual, the statutory basis on which various terms and conditions are applied, sector-specific agreements which have been reached through established Industrial Relations mechanisms and whether the employee is directly employed by a public or civil service body, or otherwise.

The Department of Education is not the direct employer of former grant funded school secretaries, but rather has been providing a payroll service for this cohort of secretaries with effect from 1st September 2023. The provision of this 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) in 2022. The agreement provided for secretaries, who signed up for the package, to be moved to a pay scale aligned with that of Grade III/CO and for some enhanced terms and conditions including improved leave entitlements and maternity provisions. This was implemented under Circular 0036/2022. The agreement however did not grant public servant status to school secretaries and therefore this cohort do not have access to the Single Public Service Pension Scheme.

The school remains the employer of school secretaries and it is their obligation to provide access to a PRSA scheme for employees. For secretaries who are paid through the Department-administered payroll, a facility is now being offered to join a PRSA scheme administered by Cornmarket with contributions being deducted at source. Secretaries who wish to avail of this option can contact Cornmarket directly – the participation of individuals in any scheme is a matter between the individual and the service provider.

Any changes to the terms and conditions agreed for these secretaries under Circular 0036/2022 can occur only under industrial relations processes and any such proposals would need to be considered in detail by this Department and the Department of Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery and Reform, as the granting or otherwise of public servant status is not within the scope of this Department.