Council backs school secretaries and caretakers
Fórsa has withdrawn strike action by school secretaries and caretakers after an agreement was reached at the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) last week to engage in a process to resolve the dispute.
“We acknowledge the work that you do. You are deeply appreciated by the community. I wish you the very best in your negotiations,” said Lord Mayor of Cork Cllr Fergal Dennehy.
On Friday, the Lord Mayor of Cork postponed the traditional visits to over 130 schools in the city due to the strike action by school caretakers and secretaries.
The visits, described by the Lord Mayor as “a cherished tradition in Cork,” were scheduled to begin this week.
He added that once the current dispute is resolved, his office will work with the schools to reschedule the visits.
The motion, which was unanimously supported city councillors on Monday, highlighted “the current, discriminatory practice of excluding school secretaries and caretakers from employment rights and entitlements enjoyed by other school staff such as teachers and special needs assistants, including their exclusion from the public service pension scheme.”
Sinn Féin Cllr Joe Lynch, welcomed the negotiations and said: “I stand with school secretaries and caretakers, whose representatives have advocated so well on their behalf.
“I hope for a fair and just outcome, which they fully deserve.”
Sinn Féin Cllr Michelle Gould, a teacher herself, added: “I’ve seen firsthand how hard they work. They’re the first people into the buildings in the morning and the last to leave in the afternoon.
“I know talks are taking place, but nothing has been confirmed. And I want to thank the women and men here tonight. You’re entitled to fair treatment and equality, and it should never have come to this in the first place.
“This wasn’t an administrative error. It was discrimination,” she added.
Fine Gael Cllr Shane O’Callaghan extended that argument to childcare workers while Labour’s John Maher said all workers should be treated fairly.
This article was produced with the support of the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme funded by Coimisiún na Meán.