‘This Mayo picket will go on indefinitely, because we are not for turning’

School secretaries and caretakers are in their fifth day of action.

They are protesting for public service pensions and entitlements enjoyed by other school workers.

Pickets are being held outside 2,000 schools nationally and more than 2,600 school secretaries and caretakers are taking part in the action.

The impacts are being felt with school receptions closed, invoices going unpaid and SUSI grant forms unprocessed. 

On Tuesday, the Forsa members marked their fourth day of indefinite strike action, by travelling to Leinster House and Government TD constituency offices around the country.

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In Mayo, the Castlebar constituency office of Fine Gael Junior Minister Alan Dillon was picketed, as was the newly opened constituency office of Fine Gael TD Keira Keogh in Westport.

“This picket will go on indefinitely, because we are not for turning,” Fiona Hamilton, a school secretary in St Joseph’s in Castlebar, told The Mayo News at a protest outside Fine Gael Deputy Keira Keogh’s constituency office.

“We feel that our good nature has been taken advantage of for too long”, adds Louise Coen from the Sancta Maria College, Louisburgh.

They were joined on the picket by school secretaries and caretakers from across the Clew Bay area: Martina Brady, Sacred Heart School, Westport, Margaret Connolly, Quay School Westport, Stephanie McSweeney, Westport Educate Together, Maura Hastings, Newport National School, Fiona Hamilton, St Joseph's Secondary School and Cynthia Doyle, Sancta Maria College, Louisburgh and Thomas Ryder from Sacred Heart Westport.

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Dr Áine Moran, school principal at Sancta Maria Louisburgh, Deputy Principal, Michael Davitt and Tom O’Flynn, ASTI shop stewart, also joined the picket in solidarity.

“We've asked four years ago for pay pension party equality with all members of the Department of Education, staff, teachers and SNAS and ourselves, secretaries and caretakers”, Fiona Hamilton gives the background of the dispute.

“We're all employed by the Board of Management of individual schools. However, teachers and SNAS have pensions, and unfortunately, for some reason that's unknown to me, we don’t have pensions.”

One of the central grievances is that school secretaries in ETB schools have these rights, unlike their counterparts in community schools or in the voluntary sector.

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Deputy Keira Keogh met with the school secretaries and caretaker and said afterwards that “their message to me is simple and powerful: after decades of service, they deserve more than a box of chocolates. They deserve recognition, respect, and a fair deal.”

“School secretaries and caretakers are the heart of our schools. I spoke with those outside my office and I want them to know they have my support. I’ve already raised their concerns with Minister McEntee, who has assured me that she is working hard to deliver a fair outcome.”

“When Storm Éowyn hit last year, it was caretakers out with chainsaws clearing roads, finding generators to keep the lights on and the heat going, making sure children could walk through the doors. And every day, school secretaries are that first voice or smile parents and pupils meet, the ones who quietly keep everything moving.”

The lack of core leave entitlements that their school colleagues have is also a major driver behind the protest.

Fiona explains that the ability to go to a family funeral is dependant on local arrangements and an understanding school principal.

“If any family member were to pass away, you don't have a right. All you have to do is go with cap in hand to your school principal and ask for the day off, but they have the right to refuse.”

At the picket outside Leinster House on Monday, she met another school secretary who is currently undergoing treatment for cancer.

“She's getting chemotherapy, and she can't afford to stay at home, so she gets her chemotherapy and goes back to work, and she won't have any critical illness pay.”

'They're absolutely central to the running of the schools'

Wednesday marked day five of the strike.

Outside the Sancta Maria College in Louisburgh, teachers and SNAs joined the picket.

The school principal, Dr Áine Moran told The Mayo News that “the teaching and SNA staff are completely behind the caretakers and the secretarial staff here, because we know what they bring to the school, and we know what we're missing without them being here.”

“They're absolutely central to the running of the schools. And as principal, you have a very close relationship with the caretaker and the secretaries. You work very closely together on so many pieces of keeping a school functioning.”

“Catholic Social Teaching is really about solidarity and standing with the most disadvantaged. And right now, our secretaries and our caretakers are the most disadvantaged within our school community, and we are obliged, as Catholics and in Catholic schools, to stand in solidarity with them.”

How long will the strike go on?

The short answer is until a political solution is found or the Forsa members decide to end the action.

Fiona Hamilton and her fellow school secretaries and care taker colleagues are clear that it could go on indefinitely.

How long the schools can function without secretaries and caretakers is another question.

Dr Moran explains that her school is fortunate to be in a relatively new building with a brand new heating system in terms of maintenance and things breaking down.

However, the school hasn’t had to deal with blocked toilets yet this week. No bins went out this week. The grass won't be caught in the pitch, so matches won't be able to be played. The secretarial staff would also book the buses for trips or away matches and this is not happening.

Without the secretarial staff, there is no sign in or sign out service at the moment. This means that if a student has a dental appointment or medical appointment, they have to take the full day off school.

With the reception closed, there is no way for parents to contact the school and invoices aren’t being paid.

“We're not paying any of our suppliers because our banking isn't running. Eventually, after whatever length of time, suppliers won't supply us because we haven't paid our bills.”

Parents are also going to be affected as forms for children's allowances for children over the age of 16 and SUSI grant applications are not currently being processed in schools under picket.

The ASTI trade union has also mandated its members not to do any of the work that the caretaker or the secretary would normally do.

Paul Lawless TD with with the members of Fórsa outside Leinster House

Aontú Deputy Paul Lawless joined a picket outside Leinster House and said he stood “unequivocally with the members of Fórsa in their campaign for pension parity and public sector recognition for school secretaries and caretakers.”

The Knock-based TD is calling the Minister and the Department to act without delay to grant public sector status to all school secretaries and caretakers, enrol them in the Single Pension Scheme, make the Department the paymaster for all and engage with the Labour Court to resolve this equitably.