Union: Schools told to cut secretaries’ pay
The circular which was issued to schools in recent weeks tells them that funding provided this year for general running costs and funding provided for caretaking and secretarial services “may be regarded as a common grant from which (each) board of management can allocate according to its own priorities”.
IMPACT trade union, which represents the affected workers, said a ministerial circular would hit some of the poorest paid workers in the state.
In a letter to Education Minister Batt O’Keeffe, IMPACT assistant general secretary Johnny Fox said: “Your decision to allow boards of management to use this grant for non-secretarial and caretaking purposes will have the net effect of ensuring these grades will have their salaries, which are already low by minimum standards, further reduced. It will also ensure that schools will cut back the hours these grades work further diminishing their already unacceptably low rates of pay.
“The decision to do so while discussions are ongoing in the newly established Forum on Pay and Conditions of Employment suggests to us that your department’s commitment to making progress smacks of lip service.”
He added IMPACT would resist the department’s decision.
“In the interest of fairness and natural justice we call upon you to reverse this decision before the commencement of the new school year,” Mr Fox said.
The Irish Primary Principals Network had previously said schools should be allowed to allocate their staffing levels based on their needs rather than on a strict formula from the Department of Education.
The INTO said the circular was little more than “smoke and mirrors” tactics by the Education Department adding that moves to streamline and rationalise payments to schools, while welcome, could not mask the inadequacy of school funding.
“Talk of rationalisation and streamlining grant schemes to schools is all very well but it doesn’t improve school funding,” said John Carr, general secretary of the INTO. “Whether paid separately or together, grants to primary schools are completely inadequate.
“Telling schools they can regard two accounts as a common fund is pointless when both accounts are in the red. Government funding for running costs is completely inadequate. Government funding for secretary and caretaker services is woefully inadequate.”
He said putting the two grants together in a common fund will not add one cent to school coffers.
