Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 8 July 2004
126 Mr. Deenihan asked the Minister for Education and Science when the benchmarking award will be made to primary school secretaries employed under the 1978 scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20912/04]
View answerThe terms of Sustaining Progress provide that the final two phases of the benchmarking increase and the general round increases is dependent, in the case of each grade, sector and organisation, on verification of co-operation with flexibility and change, satisfactory implementation of the agenda for modernisation, maintenance of stable industrial relations and absence of industrial action on matters covered by the agreement. The agreement also provides for arrangements to be put in place to verify that the conditions for the payment of these increases have been met.
The trade union representing the school secretaries issued an instruction to their members not to make any supervision or substitution payments to teachers in respect of absences now covered by the revised supervision or substitution scheme. This action was regarded as industrial action which offended the stable industrial relations clause of Sustaining Progress and was only recently resolved in the context of agreeing a modernisation agenda for school secretaries in May 2004.
My Department is currently consulting with the managerial authorities of schools to verify satisfactory progress on implementation of the modernisation agenda and to ensure that the conditions necessary for payment of the benchmarking awards have been met. This approach has been approved by the Education Sector Performance Verification Group. This consultation process will be concluded shortly, which will allow the Secretary General of my Department to make his assessment of the progress achieved. If, following his assessment, the level of progress achieved warrants payment of the relevant pay increases, the necessary arrangements for payment will be made as soon as possible thereafter.
