‘We’re out for the long haul’: School secretaries and caretakers take to the picket lines

School secretaries and caretakers across the country downed tools again this Monday as part of an indefinite strike action, led by Fórsa, in a bid to secure equal pension rights with their public service colleagues.

While there was a number of national and regional protests last week, pickets took place outside many schools this Monday.

Outside Birdhill National School in county Tipperary, secretary Gina Byrne said she and her colleagues have been left with no choice but to take action.

“I’m striking in solidarity with all my school secretary and caretaker colleagues all around the country,” she explained. “We’re fighting for pension parity, to get the same terms and conditions and pension rights as our teacher colleagues, SNA colleagues and other secretaries around the country. We’re doing the same work and have none of the same rights. So it’s fairness and parity that we’re all fighting for.”

The action, which began following a ballot of Fórsa members in June, is backed by an overwhelming majority of workers.

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“This is not a wildcard strike or an action by a few people,” Byrne said. “Ninety-eight per cent of the membership voted in favour of this. It’s an extremely strong and powerful message that we’re sending. We’re a very united group, and we’re not returning back.”

Talks between Fórsa and the Department of Education have so far failed to materialise. Byrne said members were frustrated by the lack of engagement.

“Our union directors were available all weekend for talks, waiting for a phone call, an email, some sort of invitation and nothing has come across,” she said. “We’re waiting for actual, proper concrete talks to happen, as opposed to commitments and lip service.”

For Byrne and her colleagues, the strike is a last resort but one they are prepared to continue indefinitely.

“This is an indefinite strike, as I’ve said,” she added. “That’s what the membership voted for. We’re out for the long haul. We’re going to do this for as long as it takes.”

Elsewhere, Billy Kerins a school caretaker in Rathkeale, County. Limerick said staff feel like they had been left with no choice but to down tools.

“There’s not one person that wants to be on the picket line,” he said. “But the Department of Education has not come to the table for any meaningful talks. We met with Minister McEntee in April at a union conference in Galway and we haven’t seen her since.”

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“All we want is parity,” Mr Kerins added. “We’re not looking for anything extra. We’ll pay for our own pensions. We just want the same rights and entitlements as our colleagues. We’re all employed by Boards of Management, we all work in public buildings, yet we are the ones being discriminated against, and nobody can explain why.”

Mr Kerins warned that if progress is not made, the strikes could escalate.

“The next step is an indefinite strike. We will not go back until there are meaningful talks. If that doesn’t happen, we’ll be back out again,” he said.