Dear members,

Close to 3,000 school secretaries and caretakers who are Fórsa members will begin an indefinite strike on Thursday 28th August 2025, fighting to get public service pensions. 

For many of them this will be the first time they go on strike, and often they will be alone on picket lines outside their schools. Your support, as their union colleagues, is vital, so we've created an easy way for you to show your support.

You can send them a message of solidarity here.

School secretaries and caretakers do not have access to public service pensions, despite working alongside teachers and SNAs who do.

We know this action will impact communities all over this country, and that many of you will feel the effect of the strike in the schools your children attend. But we also know that this union’s strength is the solidarity between our members. 

The teaching unions are standing with us and advising their members not to take on the duties of striking colleagues.

Over the past weeks our members have been speaking out about how this issue impacts them. You can listen to members on Liveline here, and on the Claire Byrne Show here.

Our members have waited long enough. Despite widespread support from across the political spectrum, including from the Minister of Education Helen McEntee T.D. and the Oireachtas Education Committee, nothing has changed.

What’s at stake is fairness. It’s about the school secretary or caretaker who, after 40 years of service, retires with nothing while their school colleagues leave with a secure pension. It’s about a worker diagnosed with cancer being denied the basic sick pay protections afforded to every other school staff member. That’s why 98% of Fórsa’s school secretary and caretakers voted overwhelmingly to strike.

So, please send your union colleagues a message of solidarity, and talk to your friends and colleagues about why your union is taking a stand for pension parity. Scroll down to watch powerful video portraits of our members preparing to strike.

As the strike begins look out for Fórsa members on the picket line in your communities and if you can, visit them, and show your support online using the hashtag #PensionParity.

Yours,

Andy Pike
Head of Education

Watch our powerful video portraits of school secretaries and caretakers ahead of their strike.  These key education workers expose decades of neglect, exploitation, and injustice. Their words cut through the silence, revealing a system that has failed them for far too long.

Subscribe to Fórsa’s YouTube channel and get the latest stories straight from other workers and members themselves. Hear what matters most in workplaces and communities across the island.  Click subscribe, stay connected, and don’t forget - share widely and let’s strengthen our collective voice! 

Hilary is the first into school at 8am, starting early to support working parents. She is the front of house for the school, keeping everything running smoothly – yet the Department keeps piling more and more work on her.

Hilary has faced shocking injustice. Diagnosed with breast cancer, she was given a measly three days’ sick leave and left to navigate treatment and recovery entirely on her own.

The Department knows her story – and she is not alone. This is the reality for many school secretaries and caretakers. In the past, some were too afraid to stand up and be counted. Now, strengthened by their branch, they are taking a stand.

Watch Hilary’s story on YouTube. 

Billy has been a caretaker for 20 years. He’s at the school early every morning, making sure everything is safe, from the breakfast club to the classrooms, and checking that nothing is broken or leaking. He keeps the school running – but the Department doesn’t treat him like a worker.

Caretakers and secretaries are being treated like second-class citizens. After decades of service, many retire with nothing – no pension, no security, no recognition.

Billy hasn’t had a proper holiday in ten years because every euro is stretched just to cover the basics. The stress takes its toll. But he keeps going, because the children depend on him.

Watch and share here.

Noreen has served as the school secretary in Watergrasshill National School for over 25 years. Across the country, workers like her are at the heart of education - managing staff payroll, supporting students, and holding everything together - yet they are denied the recognition of public servants. 

The stories she shares are abysmal. Secretaries excluded from the staff room, denied bereavement leave, and even asked to fork out for a substitute during family tragedies. After decades of service, some retire with nothing more than a bouquet of flowers and a few kind words.

Watch and share here.

This is David, a school caretaker in Waterford. When a storm hits and the school reopens, it’s David who makes sure it’s safe. When the pipes burst, it’s David who fixes them. But when he retires? A box of chocolates, maybe a bottle of whiskey. 

He’s kept his school running, saved it thousands in repairs, and literally kept the roof over generations of students. Yet many caretakers like him struggle to get a mortgage, plan for the future and can’t count on job security.

Watch and share here.