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Cllr Norma Moriarty.
FIANNA Fáil General Election candidate for Kerry, Cllr. Norma Moriarty has said that it is simply unfair that school secretaries in the county are still feeling the brunt of a two-tier pay structure, and that it must be reversed in 2019.
The Kerry county councillor said; “As it stands just 10% of the 3,500 school secretaries across the country are employed by the Department of Education. The remaining 90% are paid for out of school funding which supports their wages, caretakers and other school supplies.
“As a teacher myself, I am acutely aware of how hard our school secretaries work. Without them, schools wouldn’t function. Our secretaries and caretakers are vital members of all school teams and are crucial to the care and well-being of our students and teachers. They deserve better pay and conditions.
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“As it stands, the remaining 90% do not enjoy the same benefits as their counterparts employed by the Department directly. They have no safeguards, no pensions, no sick leave entitlements, and no incremental pay scale increases. The wage gap between two individuals carrying out the same job is often in excess of €10,000 per annum.”
“The Minister must get to grips with this glaring anomaly and recognise the work of all school secretaries. School secretaries are expected to take on huge responsibilities, from complex administration to organising school events and training days. Talks must start as soon as possible between the Government and the trade union, in accordance with an adjudication of the WRC back in 2015”, concluded Cllr. Moriarty.
