Fórsa will meet education department officials next Thursday (13th May) to review a fresh set of proposals on the regularisation of employment for school secretaries and caretakers. This follows a further session in the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) on Friday 14th May.
The last round of talks took place in late April, with the union reporting very limited progress. In a communication to members, Fórsa assistant general secretary Shane Lambert said the WRC had requested a clear set of proposals from the DES ahead of the next engagement.
“These proposals should include a number of elements, which would form the basis of the terms and conditions of any contract, such as pay, access to sick pay, holiday entitlements and maternity benefits,” he said.
Shane added that the talks are expected to move into a more complex phase, which will encompass difficult discussion items.
“These include access to pension schemes and public service status. These will be very difficult discussions and the items in question are likely to be key, with regards to whether an overall agreement can be reached, or not,” he said.
Fórsa’s head of Education Andy Pike said the union would have to consider whether to remain in the process if the department’s proposals failed to live up to Government commitments made last year.
“The department has an opportunity now to reveal something of substance, a set of proposals that illustrate its serious intentions. If the it fails to live up to this opportunity, our members will have no option but to remind them they have a strong mandate and a determination to see this through after more than four decades of effective marginalisation,” he said.
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