Further strike action by school secretaries and caretakers might be on the cards after talks break down

"He claimed the breakdown follows a failure by the Department of Education and Youth to engage meaningfully with union proposals on a range of pension issues, including recognition of prior service. The spokesperson said the dispute should be referred to the Labour Court. This course of action was an element of a September agreement that ended strike action by the secretaries and caretakers that caused widespread disruption in primary and secondary schools."

"Andy Pike, Fórsa head of education, said any agreement must include appropriate credit for members' earlier service. Without it, he said school secretaries and caretakers stood to lose significant pension value. He said many of them had decades of employment behind them. "The department's refusal to table a constructive proposal on this point has now brought the process to an impasse," he said. "School secretaries and caretakers have shown extraordinary patience.""

Talks on pensions for school secretaries and caretakers collapsed at the Workplace Relations Commission after a breakdown over pension proposals. The Department of Education and Youth did not engage meaningfully with proposals on issues including recognition of prior service. The union intends to refer the dispute to the Labour Court, consistent with a September agreement that had ended earlier strike action. Staff remain excluded from full pension parity with other school-based public service workers and no progress was made on providing comparable benefits or recognising previous service. Without appropriate credit for earlier service, many long-serving staff risk losing significant pension value. Further strike action remains possible.

Read at Irish Independent