.
Cllr Pa Daly
TRALEE Sinn Féin Cllr Pa Daly has said that his party stands with school secretaries, and that the Department of Education must engage critically with them to meet their needs.
Today, thousands of school secretaries across the country will be going on strike before beginning an indefinite work-to-rule action until their demands are met.
Speaking today, Cllr Daly said; “These staff are invaluable members of our school and our communities, often working above and beyond their job requirements.
Continued below…
.
“They work on the front line, and are the first port of call for parents and students. Without them, our schools would simply not function. I want to put on record that they have the full support of myself and Sinn Féin.”
“At its heart this dispute centres on the fact that the majority of school secretaries, over 3,000, earn as little as €13,000 a year with irregular, short-term contracts and no pay during summer holidays or school breaks.
“This is compounded by the inequality that persists between them and the few hundred school secretaries who are paid directly by the Department of Education with starting salaries of €24,000.
“Our schools cannot function without them. Our education system needs them. That cannot be disputed. That is why their claim is justified; to be employed as public servants, with the same contractual security as their colleagues. All they want is fair play.”
