Paul McAuliffe
Question:524. Deputy Paul McAuliffe asked the Minister for Education to outline the changes made to school secretaries' pay in the last Government; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [46551/24]
View answerWednesday, 22 January 2025
Questions (524)
Written answers
Since September 2023, the department is providing a payroll service for previously grant funded Secretaries. This provision 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) and also includes revised terms and conditions for secretaries. The Agreement however did not grant school secretaries with public servant status and therefore there is no pension scheme in place for school secretaries employed under the new terms and conditions of employment as outlined in Circular 0036/2020.
Each 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. Should secretaries wish to avail of this option, they can contact Cornmarket directly – the participation of individuals in any scheme is a matter between the individual and the service provider.
The department moved School Secretaries’ pay rates to a scale which is aligned with the Clerical Officer Grade III pay scale within education and training boards on a pro rata basis. Pay rates were pro rata according to a secretary’s current working pattern. Secretaries have been included in the national pay agreement and as such will receive pay increases in line with public servants. My department also offered to improve the conditions for School Secretaries with regard to sick leave, annual leave, and maternity provisions.
Part of the work to on-board school secretaries to my department’s payroll, involved the development of a formal model for the allocation of secretary posts other than Department-sanctioned secretaries in Community and Comprehensive schools and those employed under the 1978/1979 scheme. Schools seeking additional secretarial resources or who wish to employ a secretary for the first time are considered on a case-by-case basis.
The department engages with Fórsa and additional terms and conditions have been sought for this cohort of staff. However, any such claims, especially those with additional cost implications, must be carefully considered by the Department, in consultation with the Department of Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery and Reform and in line with the existing industrial relations processes.