Good morning colleagues,

Day six of strike action by Fórsa's school secretaries and caretakers, and we have a strong Irish Times editorial that concludes: "Chambers does not have a strong hand, and it will not get any stronger as long as the school secretaries and the caretakers have the public on their side. His ability and willingness to hold the line will be tested as the impact of their withdrawal of labour starts to be felt at 2000 schools across the State."

A letter to the Irish Examiner says the Fórsa strike "has shone a harsh light on a shameful injustice in our education system." The largest school in the country, Gorey Community School in Wexford, had to close yesterday as a result of the strike action.

Regional media coverage remains strong, with news from Limerick, Longford, Mayo, Westmeath, Cork, while in Co Meath "Bins are going unemptied, soap is not being refilled, and toilet rolls and hand towels are not being restocked." 

On RTÉ's Morning Ireland this morning, the director of the National Association of Principals and Deputy Principals "urged the Department of Education and Fórsa to resume talks to end the strike action being undertaken by school secretaries and caretakers."