2026-05-28

82. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Education and Youth to provide an update on the ongoing negotiations with school caretakers and school secretaries; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [40993/26]

I wish to ask the Minister to provide an update on the ongoing negotiations with school caretakers and secretaries.

I thank the Deputy for his question. School secretaries and caretakers are at the heart of schools in this country and they are the key interface, as we all know, between students, parents, school leaders and other staff. Without them, our schools would be unsustainable, given the value of what they contribute, so supporting our school staff is an absolute priority. My Department has been engaging with Fórsa and the Department of Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation over the past number of months under the auspices of the Workplace Relations Commission and the Labour Court in relation to a number of claims, including a claim for a comparable pension entitlement. The matter of comparable pension entitlement was referred to the Labour Court. The parties remain in process, and my Department remains committed to reaching a resolution on this very important matter. As with any industrial relations matters, where engagement is sensitive and complex, the matters under discussion are confidential until the process concludes. I want to reassure the Deputy, from my perspective and that of the Government, of the value we place on our school secretaries and caretakers. It is absolutely imperative that we get this matter resolved.

Gabhaim buíochas leis an Aire. The reason I raised this issue is because we are coming towards the end of the school year. This will be our last opportunity at priority questions before the school year ends. At the start of the school year, school secretaries and caretakers reluctantly went on strike outside schools in pursuit of pension parity. We could all see - I hope Government could see it, and it surely knows it - the level of public support, particularly within school communities, that there is for school secretaries and caretakers. Their claim is a just one. It is for pension parity. The deep concern at this stage - and I take on board every word of the Minister's response - is that time is moving on and these individuals, in some circumstances, are making decisions about when they will retire and be able to move on. Time is of the essence.

I concur with everything the Deputy has said there. I met with the school secretaries and caretakers in my own constituency at the time. I know many of them. They are very familiar to me. They do not take going out on protests lightly. They did not want to be there. I heard that loud and clear and I recognise that a comparable pension entitlement and enhanced terms and conditions are, understandably, important objectives for our secretaries and caretakers. That is why my Department has been engaging with Fórsa over the past number of months under the auspices of the Workplace Relations Commission and the Labour Court with the support and input of the Department of public expenditure and reform. Parties remain in that process and my Department remains committed to reaching a resolution on all these matters. As with any industrial relations process, I cannot comment on it. By way of background, the Deputy may be aware an agreement was reached in 2022 that provided for the assimilation of school secretaries to a payroll administered by my Department, which has provided significant benefits in respect of pay and access to leave. We are committed to ensuring that grant-funded school caretakers will be afforded the opportunity to avail of an agreement similar to that offered to grant-funded school secretaries.

In this, I want to make the case for the Minister to play whatever helpful role she can with the parties involved to try to move things on and bring them to a successful resolution. We are aware of some of the issues at stake here: access, for example, to a public service pension scheme versus auto-enrolment versus a third, bespoke model. I will make a strong case, and I hope the Minister hears it and can pass it on to her ministerial colleagues. There is a real concern that there will not be any recognition of years of dedicated contributions, and that, for example, those people who have longer service, fewer years left on their contracts and are closer retirement will be disadvantaged. It is important that any pension scheme recognises the years of dedicated service that people have given. This cannot be about a future scheme for new people coming into the job.

Regarding secretaries and caretakers being given access to the single public service pension scheme, engagement, supported by the State's industrial relation bodies, has been ongoing. As with all industrial relations processes where engagement is sensitive and complex, discussions remain confidential. My Department welcomed the commencement of the auto-enrolment retirement savings scheme, which is administered by the National Automatic Enrolment Retirement Savings Authority, NAERSA, in January. Responsibility for employer compliance with the scheme lies with NAERSA. Revenue provides payroll data to NAERSA, which uses this to identify and enrol eligible employees. Employers were required to complete their profile on the My Future Fund employer portal using their Revenue online services credentials before January this year, to ensure that they are compliant with their obligations under the legislation. Employers are required to ensure that their payroll systems are capable of calculating and submitting contributions and that employee contributions are matched in accordance with the scheme's requirements. It is important to note that all employers, regardless of their status, are required to comply with the legislation underpinning My Future Fund. The Department has enrolled approximately 2,000 eligible secretaries since 1 January this year.