Fórsa has cautioned the Department of Education and Skills that this year’s allocation process for the school year starting in September has given rise to a ‘surprising’ number of cases where SNAs have been told their working hours are to be cut.

In a letter to the department in early July, deputy general secretary Kevin Callinan said this was despite the fact that the overall SNA allocation for schools is to be increased or to remain the same.

He said a similar pattern of post fragmentation gave rise to a dispute with the department in 2014 and 2015.

Kevin added: “This culminated in an agreed approach, the essence of which was that additional SNA hours in a school should be offered to part-time staff in order of seniority in the first instance.”

He said both parties acknowledged at the time that there could be a small number of exceptions, but that these were subject to specific provisions.

However, Kevin said that recent unsuccessful attempts to resolve individual cases had forced the union to conclude “there is no commitment on the part of the NCSE, and on the part of many schools, to the proper operation of the relevant circular both in letter and spirit.”

He said this contravened the national agreements that have operated since 2010, which included commitments in relation to employment and income security.

He added: “Fórsa believes that reductions in the income of our SNA members, other than on a voluntary basis, or in accordance with the specific provisions of a collective agreement, constitute a breach of the prevailing national agreement.

“Furthermore, Fórsa holds the Department of Education and Skills, as the authority that operates the SNA scheme including payments to staff, responsible for all losses to individual SNAs in such circumstances and will take all necessary steps and action to ensure the recovery of these losses.

“We will not accept a failure to make working time available as a justification for reducing individual rates of pay when the terms of the relevant circular have not been followed,” he said.

Kevin said the union remained ready to meet the department to examine outstanding individual cases and to discuss the appropriate remedial action.