THE rain was lashing down in Mayo on Monday morning as employees from Gortnor Abbey Secondary School in Crossmolina formed a picket outside their school.

They are on strike like fellow school caretakers and secretaries across the country. Michael Murphy is holding his Fórsa sign which reads ‘Pension Parity Now’: “I’m frustrated and angry,” he says. “We’ve no pension, we’ve no sick pay, we’ve no benefits. That’s why we’re on strike.”

Murphy and his colleagues feel not appreciated for the work they do. He’s been working as caretaker for 17 years. The job entails making sure everything is working, that all health and safety issues are looked at.

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As a keyholder, Murphy is the first one in early in the morning: “You’re the last one at night locking up after events and possibly weekends duty as well, and everything that goes on in the school community.

“There were colleagues that retired, basically with a handshake, a bunch of flowers and a bottle of whisky, that isn’t much good to them after 35 years of service.”

It’s a conflict that has been going on for years. The main issue that gets the blood boiling is the fact, that caretakers and secretaries at ETB schools get all the benefits, that Murphy and his colleagues are denied.

“We’re doing exactly the same job and we’re not getting what we deserve and the Government are turning a blind eye to it, which is wrong.”

Marcella O’Connor agrees with Michael. She is secretary at Gortnor Abbey Secondary School. “I’m disappointed,” she says. “We get paid by the Government. We’re a state body at the end of the day. We should be getting a pension as well.”

Range of activities

SHE explains the wide range of activities her work covers. There is accounting to be done, taking the phone calls, organising, parents calling in, or calling parents if kids are ill and need to go home.

And the caretakers and secretaries are not alone in their struggle. They get support from their colleagues, as O’Connor puts it: “The teachers want it, the principal wants it, the deputies want it, the public want it.”

Just as we’re speaking, a local woman parks by the roadside, gets out in the rain and offers tea to the strikers. Cars passing by are beeping in solidarity. They feel encouraged. Just as Michael Murphy and Marcella O’Connor did last Thursday, when they joined the strike action in Dublin, called by the trade union Forsa.

“It was amazing to see that there were so many people like us. So many people that want the same thing as us and will fight for it. Everyone is fighting for the same thing.”

And they don’t intend to stop. Especially as there has been radio silence from government bodies so far over the weekend. Murphy says they’re ’in for the long haul’, a feeling that is echoed by his colleagues around him.

They plan to call over to the offices of Mayo TDs and Mayo County Councillors to convey their message to the elected representatives.

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