Labour calls for action to avert school secretaries and caretakers strike
Labour calls for action to avert school secretaries and caretakers strike - The Labour Party
Labour calls for action to avert school secretaries and caretakers strike
Labour’s education spokesperson Eoghan Kenny TD has expressed deep concern following the breakdown of talks at the Workplace Relations Commission today in relation to school secretaries and caretakers.
Deputy Kenny said:
“School secretaries and caretakers have waited long enough. The breakdown of talks at the WRC today is deeply disappointing and reflects a failure to deliver a fair pathway on pensions for workers who have given decades of service. These workers are not seeking special treatment. They are seeking the basic entitlements that should come with long years of public service.
“For too many school secretaries and caretakers, the proposed arrangements would mean a serious loss of pension value. That is simply not acceptable. These are people who keep our schools running every day. They know every parent, every student, and every part of the school community. They deserve a pension system that actually reflects the work they put in over many years. These workers do not want to go on strike.
“Government must now step back into this process with a renewed commitment to delivering a meaningful solution. We cannot have a situation where long-serving school staff lose significant pension entitlements because of a lack of political will.
“I am calling on the new Minister for Education and the Minister for Public Expenditure to intervene and ensure that talks resume without delay. Industrial action must be prevented.”