Support staff urge acceptance for deal

As teaching delegates at all levels vent their anger at the Croke Park II deal, a union representative for 10,000 non-teaching staff in the sector has called for the deal to be accepted.

Gina O’Brien, chairwoman of the Impact trade union’s education division, said the members she represents face compulsory redundancies and pay cuts if the public sector workers reject the proposals produced by the Labour Relations Commission.

Impact’s education division represents special needs assistants (SNAs), school secretaries, clerical and administrative staff in VECs and institutes of technology, and staff of the National Education Welfare Board and school completion programmes. It is the largest representative body for non-teaching staff in the sector.

“It annoys me that some of those opposed to the deal — generally people who are far higher paid and better protected than special needs assistants, school secretaries, and young workers struggling with mortgages and childcare costs — call on our members to vote against the vital protections in this agreement,” said Ms O’Brien.

“It’s particularly galling when they say there will be pay cuts for administrative staff. There will be no cuts to core pay for staff who earn less than €65,000 a year.

“It is dishonest and irresponsible to sow fear and confusion among ordinary workers — especially lower-paid staff with big housing and childcare costs, who have no access to overtime or premium payments to make up the difference if the deal is rejected and the Government imposes another pay cut.”

At the division’s conference in Kilkenny, Ms O’Brien said the new Croke Park proposals were “tough”.

“There is no doubt that this is a very hard choice for our members.

“The proposals mean a third pay cut for some, and changes in working conditions for all. But we are not choosing between this package and the status quo — we are choosing between this and something far less certain, and almost certainly worse... Compulsory redundancies and pay cuts for all — including the low paid — will be firmly back on the agenda.”

Separately, the chairs of four Impact branches that collectively represent more than 6,000 SNAs have also called for a yes vote. The union said that, if accepted, the agreement will lead to the implementation of a 2012 Labour Court recommendation that will give SNAs greater job security by establishing a redeployment panel for SNAs.