Sinn Féin councillor Conor D. McGuinness has called on the Minister for Education Joe McHugh TD to meet the very reasonable demands of School Secretaries who are fighting for respect and fairness in work. McGuinness made the call after joining school secretaries at the gates of St. Joseph’s and Scoil Náisiúnta na Rinne on Friday Morning. Secretaries were taking part in a one day work-to-rule as part of the Fórsa trade union Support Our Secretaries campaign.
McGuinness said:
“Our School Secretaries are invaluable members of our school and our communities, often working above and beyond their job requirements.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.
“Their claim is entirely justified. All they ask is to be employed as public servants, with the same contractual security as their colleagues. They have low pay, no holiday pay, no sick pay, no real job security, certainly no occupational pensions, and no access to public service salary scales.
“The state should be a leader in providing fair pay and conditions for employees, but school secretaries have fallen through the cracks. Fórsa have launched a petition to support school secretaries and everyone is invited to add their name. Please visit www.forsa.ie for more information.”
Cllr. Conor D. McGuinness 