THE STRIKE OF school secretaries has ended, according to the Fórsa trade union that represents the workers and the Minister for Education Helen McEntee. 

More than 2,800 staff across 2,300 schools had withdrawn from work for a seventh day today, causing major disruption to payroll systems, attendance records, and basic school services like rubbish collection.

Some schools have already had to close classes, and a number of principals warned that further closures could be on the horizon if the strike continued.

“We have an agreement,” a Fórsa spokesperson told The Journal. 

In a statement, the union said it had tonight “confirmed that agreement has been reached at the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) designed to bring the current strike by school secretaries and caretakers to an end”.

Fórsa said that strike action will be withdrawn to allow the implementation of the agreement.

The union said that the key element of the agreement is “a government commitment to negotiate comparable pension entitlements for school secretaries and caretakers”. 

Fórsa said the breakthrough “represents the first time the State has formally accepted the principle that these essential staff should not be excluded from pension entitlements comparable to those available to teachers and SNAs”.

In a statement released this evening, McEntee said that she welcomed “Fórsa’s agreement to withdraw strike action” and enter discussions in the Workplace Relations Commission with the Department.

An earlier statement had used the word “suspend” rather than “withdraw”. 

“I have seen around the country the impact of strike action on school communities and want to acknowledge their resilience throughout to keep schools open for children and young people,” McEntee said.

McEntee added that she had confidence in the WRC in its role as facilitator. 

Fórsa’s head of education, Andy Pike, said the agreement was “a major step forward for school secretaries and caretakers”.

“Alongside progress on sick pay, leave, and payroll arrangements, it provides a fair basis for our members to return to their schools and communities.

” It is now the responsibility of the State to honour this agreement and deliver on its commitments.”