School secretaries earn less than minimum wage, claims union

A NUMBER of school secretaries across the country are earning less than the minimum wage — as low as €6 per hour, it was claimed yesterday.

IMPACT trade union, which represents school secretaries, will today meet with the Department of Education as well as representatives of school boards of management to discuss the low pay of school secretaries in voluntary school sectors.

According to Johnny Fox of IMPACT, there are secretaries paid directly by the State under a 1978 scheme and those people have earnings starting at €12.84. They are entitled to pension payments, sick leave — the terms and conditions applicable to a clerical grade in the civil service.

However, Mr Fox said those covered by the 1978 scheme are in the minority, with most covered by a system introduced in 1990, the ancillary services system.

“Under that scheme boards of management pay the secretaries directly from funds secured in grants from the department based on the number of pupils,” he said. “The secretaries do not have access to pension schemes, sick leave or pay increases. There are many who have not had an increase in 8 to 10 years.

“We have come across one secretary who is earning €6 per hour and has not had an increase in eight years. The problem is typical outside the large centres. There are others earning between €7 and €8.20 even though the minimum wage is €8.65.”

Mr Fox said the lack of increases is in spite of the fact the workers’ job specification has become more complex in recent years.

Mr Fox said the union would be demanding at today’s meeting that a national conciliation forum be set up to monitor pay across the sector.

Ferdia Kelly, general secretary of the Joint Managerial Body, said boards of management could only pay secretaries a fair salary in light of the underfunding with which they face.

“For every pupil the voluntary schools receives €100 less than a community or vocational school,” he said.

Mr Kelly said the Government had promised an equalisation of the funding within two years of the new government, but with one year gone that had not materialised.

The Department of Education said the ancillary services grant scheme was “flexible in nature, giving boards of management discretion as to the manner in which caretaking and secretarial services are provided”.

“The grants paid are not directly linked to any objective pay scales. The level of services provided is a matter for the school authorities who, through the discretion afforded by the scheme, apply diverse arrangements for caretaking and secretarial services as resources permit.”