Fórsa’s school secretaries and caretakers will begin indefinite strike action for pension parity on Thursday 28th August 2025, at the start of the new school term. Letters of notice have issued to affected school employers and school management bodies. 

Members voted overwhelmingly in favour of indefinite strike action in their ongoing campaign for pension parity. The ballot saw 98% of voting members support the move, with a turnout of over 81%.  

Fórsa represents more than 2,300 school secretaries and 500 school caretakers working in primary and secondary schools across the country. The ballot follows years of campaigning to secure access to the Single Public Service Pension Scheme, from which school secretaries remain excluded, despite being placed on the Department of Education’s centralised payroll since 2023. School caretakers are fighting for access to the same terms and conditions as previously won by secretaries, and for pensions. 

Chair of the school secretaries branch, Luisa Carty, thanked members from across the union for the solidarity and support they have shown so far. She said: “Every community has a school at its heart and school secretaries and caretakers are the heart of those schools. We give so much to our communities and we’re so grateful for the support being shown to our campaign.” 

David Hearne, chair of the school caretakers branch, urged members from other divisions to sign the petition and to come along to rallies when the strike action begins. He said: “The more people who stand with us the stronger the message the government will get. So, when you see the secretary and caretaker from your school on strike, please support them.” 

Andy Pike, Fórsa’s head of education, said the result sends a powerful message: “Our members have voted overwhelmingly for strike action because they believe in pension equality. These are dedicated professionals who are essential to the smooth running of our schools. They deserve the same pension rights as their public service colleagues.”  

Andy said the ballot reflected growing frustration at the State’s continued refusal to extend pension parity, despite the significant progress made in standardising pay, contracts, and payroll arrangements for school secretaries. Similar pay arrangements for caretakers are expected to be finalised this year.   

He added: “The 2023 agreement was a landmark in recognising the value of school secretaries’ work. But without pension provision, it remains incomplete. Fórsa has always maintained that pension justice is a vital element of achieving full equality.”  

The 2023 agreement followed a prolonged campaign by Fórsa, which included strike action by school secretaries in January 2020, with strong support from teachers, Special Needs Assistants (SNAs) and parents in school communities.  

Fórsa has advised the department that it remains available for engagement should the department wish to discuss the terms under which Fórsa members can be admitted to the Single Public Service Pension Scheme.  

Andy added: “We urge both the Department of Education and the Department of Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery and Reform to re-engage with Fórsa to secure a fair and equitable resolution.”   

Read more about the campaign here.

Sign the petition here.

Watch the campaign launch here.

Join a union that wins. Join Fórsa.