A DECADES-LONG row over pay and pension entitlements between the Department of Education and school secretaries has spilled over, with strike action planned to start on Thursday.

The outcome of the industrial action could be particularly disruptive, as teaching unions have directed members to refrain from carrying out the typical duties of their school secretaries, such as payroll, booking school buses and finding substitutes.

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.

So what are their entitlements? How much are secretaries paid? And how does that compare to the average industrial wage?

What are secretaries paid?

Prior to the public pay agreement, in September 2022, the rate of pay for secretaries was agreed between the secretary and the school. Through the Department of Education, a grant was issued to schools to cover these costs.

The Department of Education agreed in 2022 to pay secretaries directly, matching the value of the contracts between the schools and secretaries. This, for many, came with a pay increase and new entitlements, such as sick pay and maternity leave.

Secretaries were not offered full-time contracts, and they were not made public servants. This meant that any compensation for overtime or additional hours worked were to be agreed between the school and the secretary.

According to union Fórsa, the hourly rates, dependent on years of service, range between €15.96 and €24.

Under this, the weekly earnings will range from €590.52 to €888.

While these rates are above the living wage, it is significantly lower than the most-recently measured average weekly earnings of €1,026.20, according to the Central Statistics Office.

Additionally, as secretaries are not considered full-time public servants, they are only paid by the department for the hours worked. A secretary on €24 per hour, working an average of 33 weeks over the school term, will earn €29,304.

What are secretaries’ entitlements?

Under the same agreement, school secretaries were also given a number of new entitlements.

School secretaries are entitled to paid sick leave, under the Sick Leave Act 2022, 26 weeks of paid and 16 weeks of unpaid maternity leave, paternity leave, parental and parents leave, carers leave, domestic violence leave and unpaid leave.

Full-time secretaries are entitled to 22 days annual leave, while leave is calculated on a pro-rata basis for part-time secretaries. The department did not match annual leave arrangements in contracts between schools and secretaries.

As secretaries are not considered public servants, they are not entitled to a public sector pension – which is the primary reason the group has decided to take industrial action.

A public sector pension, in comparison to the state pension, is based on past salary and years of service rather than a flat rate based on tax contributions.

The workers feel that they are being treated differently to others in the same sector and want parity.

Approximately 10% of secretaries – most of whom are working at educational training board facilities – have access to public service pensions. Those working in primary and secondary schools argue parity is required as they undertake the same job.

What do secretaries do?

There are a range of duties carried out by school secretaries, and many feel that the role has become a profession, with their responsibilities increasing in recent years.

One key role is payroll management for teachers, substitutes, principal and management – which must be recorded and flagged within the Department of Education’s electronic system towards the end of each month.

In addition to reception and telephone duties, the school secretary also acts as a personal assistant to the principal, provides administrative support to the board of management and also assists with student welfare.

Fórsa, which represents school secretaries, believes this work “far exceed the limits of responsibility” as set out in the clerical officer job description, used as a basis to determine public pay levels in 2022.

The department previously said that additional hours, back pay arrangements and benefit entitlements during periods of unemployment would be addressed in future phases of the deal between it and the secretaries.

Fórsa has argued that secretaries should be classified as public servants and should have access to the public service pension. This month, the department referred the row to the Workplace Relations Commission.

An indefinite strike is set to take place this Thursday, with pickets planned into the following weeks. Teachers, SNAs and other staff have been instructed by other unions not to undertake the work of the school secretaries or caretakers, who are also striking.