Last Thursday 14th September was a momentous day for hundreds of school secretaries working across the country as it was the first time they were paid through the Department of Education’s payroll.

The agreement, negotiated by Fórsa, significantly improves incomes and paid leave arrangements for school secretaries, who have been undervalued for years.

Chairperson of Fórsa’s school secretaries’ branch Luisa Carty hailed the development as a “momentous day for us all” and “one I won’t forget.”

You can watch her explain the significance of the campaign and this win for our members in the video below. 

Secretaries’ salaries will now be averaged over 52 weeks, including the cash value of job seekers benefit, which means secretaries will no longer have to sign on for unemployment benefits during school holidays. This new arrangement went live as soon as staff were transferred to the Department’s payroll.

Fórsa’s education organiser Seamus Ryan said: “After 45 years and intensive campaigning by our school secretaries branch over the past four years, school secretaries pay, terms and conditions are now back under the Department of Education and not under local school Boards of Management.

"This provides secretaries with a real pay scale with genuine progression for the first time, along with clarity on what their pay and entitlements will be for a role that is vital to the smooth running of schools. However, this is not the end of this campaign. Secretaries still need to be brought into line with the rights and entitlements that Special Needs Assistants and secretaries working in ETBs have as standard. in areas like pensions, public service status and bereavement leave. That’s why we are asking and encouraging secretaries who have hung back on joining Fórsa to take the leap and do so now, it is only together that we will bring this campaign home for all secretaries”. 

Fórsa’s school secretaries branch have produced a detailed guide to explain the new Department of Education payslip.

In this document you will find a brief explanation and a breakdown of payslip dates, payslip points and other important information relating to this new arrangement, as well as a sample departmental payslip.

This momentous win for our school secretaries is just the beginning. Working together we can win on pensions, bereavement leave, and so much more.