TRADE UNION FÓRSA have said talks on pensions for school secretaries and caretakers at the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) have broken down this evening.

The decades-long row over pay and pension entitlements between the Department of Education and school secretaries led to a strike in late August and early September.

More than 2,800 staff across 2,300 schools withdrew from work over seven days, causing major disruption to payroll systems, attendance records, and basic school services like rubbish collection.

Labour TD Eoghan Kenny has called on the government to deliver a solution and prevent further strike action.

A landmark agreement in 2022 saw secretaries in most schools placed on the public sector payroll, but most are not classified as public servants and do not have the same entitlements to public sector pensions.

Fórsa blamed the breakdown on the Department of Education’s “failure to engage meaningfully with union proposals on a range of pension issues, including the recognition of prior service”.

The union said the breakdown in talks would require the matter to be referred to the Labour Court.

It said “no progress” was made this week on the issue of providing comparable pension benefits and recognising previous service.

The union’s head of education Andy Pike said that any agreement must include appropriate credit for members’ earlier service.

Without it, he said: “School secretaries and caretakers stand to lose significant pension value, many of whom have 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. School secretaries and caretakers have shown extraordinary patience. Their determination to secure a just and long-overdue resolution remains unwavering. But if progress continues to be blocked, we cannot – and will not – rule out further strike action.

“The next step now is to refer this matter to the Labour Court for a decision. Our members were clear in their intention when they took strike action in September. They fought for a fair agreement. We remain focused on establishing a satisfactory agreement through the State’s IR mechanisms and will work with the Court to resolve this issue,” he added.

Labour TD Eoghan Kenny described the news as “deeply disappointing” and has called on the government to take action to prevent further strikes.

He said: “School secretaries and caretakers have waited long enough. The breakdown of talks at the WRC today is deeply disappointing and reflects a failure to deliver a fair pathway on pensions for workers who have given decades of service.”

“Government must now step back into this process with a renewed commitment to delivering a meaningful solution. We cannot have a situation where long-serving school staff lose significant pension entitlements because of a lack of political will.

“I am calling on the new Minister for Education and the Minister for Public Expenditure to intervene and ensure that talks resume without delay. Industrial action must be prevented.”

A spokesperson for the Department of Education told The Journal that the Department “remains committed and ready to engage with Forsa to reach a resolution to this important matter which has been referred to the Labour Court”.