management bodies for second-level schools are urging the Government to intervene in the ongoing dispute involving striking school secretaries and caretakers, which has now lasted over a week. The industrial action is impacting approximately 2,000 schools, with over 2,600 Fórsa trade union members participating, who are fighting for access to public sector pensions and other entitlements.

The association of Community and Extensive Schools (ACCS) and the Joint Managerial Body (JMB), representing post-primary schools affected by the strike, have highlighted the “severe strain” on school principals and boards of management.They are advocating for “meaningful negotiations” to address the situation.

their appeal follows Fórsa’s rejection of an invitation from the Government for renewed talks at the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC). The union declined the invitation because the Government would not guarantee that the discussions would focus on integrating secretaries and caretakers into the public service pension scheme.

The ACCS and JMB emphasized the statutory obligations of boards of management, including ensuring the safety and welfare of students and staff.They noted that principals,who also serve as secretaries to the boards,are under “enormous strain” as they try to balance solidarity with striking staff and the daily needs of students and staff.

Principals Report Mounting Pressures

According to a joint statement from the ACCS and JMB, principals are facing “intense pressures” to keep schools running and meet their statutory duties without the essential support of secretaries and caretakers.these responsibilities include managing building access and security, maintaining communications, and ensuring health and safety standards are met.

The statement further noted that the pressure to maintain school operations is diverting senior leaders’ attention from core priorities, leading to “mounting stress across the system” as principals and boards struggle to balance their responsibilities to students, parents, and staff.

“school secretaries and caretakers are indispensable to the life of every voluntary secondary school.”

Mary Jackson, President of the Association of Community and Comprehensive Schools, warned that the situation is unsustainable without immediate and constructive government intervention. She urged the Department of Education and the Department of Public Expenditure to engage urgently with Fórsa at the Workplace Relations Commission or another appropriate forum.

John Barry,President of the Joint Managerial Body,emphasized the critical role of school secretaries and caretakers in voluntary secondary schools,stating,”Their absence demonstrates just how much our schools rely on their dedication. This untenable situation demands urgent resolution by Government.”

Dublin School at Risk of Closure

Alexandra Duane, the principal of St Joseph’s secondary school in Fairview, Dublin, has expressed concerns that her school may have to close due to health and safety issues arising from uncollected rubbish during the strike.Speaking on RTÉ’s Today with Claire Byrne, she said she fears the uncollected waste will attract rats over the weekend.

“[The school is] already really, really in a bad state, we have a lot of seagulls and birds and everything coming in,” Ms. Duane stated. “I’m very fearful that it’s going to turn into rats. We’re directly across the road from Fairview Park and over the weekend there won’t be anybody here. I’m very anxious about Monday morning.”

Ms. Duane plans to assess the school’s safety on Sunday to determine whether it can open on Monday. She emphasized that the school “fully supports” the striking secretaries and caretakers and believes that taking on their responsibilities would undermine the industrial action.

She added, “The whole point of the strike … is to show the impact that them not being there is going to have on the school… I would sort of jokingly say, ‘They’re the heart of the school and that the school would fall apart without them’. But now it is falling apart without them, and it just shows how crucial they are.”

Ms. Duane also noted a backlog of child benefit forms needing to be stamped and unpaid invoices due to the strike.

Meanwhile, Olwen Anderson, the principal of St Luke’s Primary School in Douglas, Cork, reported that substitute teachers might face delayed payments because of the strike. Speaking on the same program, Ms. Anderson said that while the school is currently managing, the situation will become increasingly unsustainable if the strike continues.

“Our secretary coordinates all of the finances of the schools, so organising invoices, accepting those things, that won’t happen,” Ms. Anderson explained. “Deliveries to the school, that’s not happening at the moment and then communicating with parents as well is becoming incredibly difficult.”

Ms. Anderson affirmed the school’s support for the striking caretakers and secretaries but expressed disappointment that no progress has been made in talks between the Government and Fórsa. “We’re very concerned that nothing seems to be moving forward and that there’s no end date to this in sight,” she said.