Fórsa has repeated its call for a common set of pay and conditions for staff working in education centres. In a recent submission to an Oireachtas education committee investigation into issues affecting non-teaching education staff, the union said the workers were employed on a range of salary scales and were not treated as public servants despite providing “key services to public servants.”

The union told the committee it had sought negotiations with the Department of Education and Skills to address the problem, and to ensure that staff were granted public service status.

There are 30 education centres across the country. They provide a range of educational programmes to teachers, and are grant funded by the Department of Education and Skills.

Staff employed by the centres undertake a range of education development, project management, and clerical and administrative roles.