Government TDs have called for the Coalition to "concede" to the demands of school caretakers and secretaries as 2,000 schools were hit with strike action, writes Sarah McGuinness.

Five TDs from Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael have urged the Departments of Education and Public Expenditure to quickly agree a deal to bring pay and entitlements closer in line with civil servants, as secretaries and caretakers with trade union Fórsa downed tools indefinitely.

The chairman of the Oireachtas Education Committee, Fianna Fáil's Cathal Crowe, said it is "not good enough" that the issue - which has been highlighted by school staff for decades - has escalated to strike action. And Fine Gael's Emer Currie said: "Now is the opportunity to fix this."

Hundreds of protesters gathered in Dublin city centre yesterday to highlight the Fórsa strike, which centres around pay, leave entitlements and a lack of pension for secretaries and caretakers.

The union is campaigning for school staff to be included in the public service pension scheme and other entitlements.

More than 2,600 school secretaries and caretakers are involved and 2,000 schools will be impacted, Fórsa said, as thousands of schools return for the new academic year. Engagement between the union and the Department of Education at the Workplace Relations Commission concluded without any outcome on Wednesday.

After a union-led campaign several years ago, secretaries in most schools were put on the public payroll in 2022, meaning they no longer had to sign on to social welfare during the summer holidays and became entitled to sick pay and maternity leave.

Some secretaries also saw their wages increase by as much as 50% - despite their pay now being matched to one of the lowest grades in the civil service.

Although they are now being paid directly by the department, most are not classified as public servants and do not have access to the civil servant pension scheme. They also are not entitled to extended sick leave, bereavement leave and other entitlements. Secretaries and caretakers receive far less pay and fewer leave entitlements than, for example, special needs assistants.

While the Government committed in 2022 to agree a deal for caretakers, it has not happened.

Fórsa director of education Shane Lambert told the Irish Daily Mail that many caretakers are still paid €13 per hour - less than minimum wage.

A number of Government TDs have now expressed solidarity with the Fórsa members. Fianna Fáil's Willie O'Dea called on the Government to "concede".

"School secretaries and caretakers are absolutely essential to the efficient running of schools and they have a moral right to be included in the public service pension scheme and other entitlements," he wrote in a post on X.

O'Dea told the Mail that it is "perverse" that most staff in one school will have certain entitlements while others do not. The Limerick TD referred to the 2022 agreement, saying: "You would have assumed that when that was agreed three years ago, this would have been resolved.

"It makes no sense that this is still dragging on."

His comments were echoed by a number of other Coalition TDs.

Crowe told the Mail that "no school could have opened this week without the work of secretaries and caretakers". The Fianna Fáil TD, who was a teacher for 14 years before being elected to the Dáil, condemned the fact that talks with the WRC only started "at the 11th hour".

He said the ongoing dispute "says a lot about how the Department of Education has valued - or undervalued - essential school workers".

"We should have seen this coming. Talks need to resume and this must be thrashed out."

Emer Currie said there is "unfinished business" from the 2022 agreement and urged the Departments of Education, and Public Expenditure and the WRC to come to a deal with Fórsa. Barry Ward, a Fine Gael TD for Dún Laoghaire, said he believes the requests of secretaries and caretakers are 'fair' and there should not be a 'two-tier system'.

The former barrister said bringing these workers under the public servant pension and entitlement scheme would also benefit the State. 'We are going to have to support these workers anyway once they retire via the State pension.'

Fianna Fáil TD and former teacher Pádraig O'Sullivan said he believes it is "inevitable" that secretaries and caretakers are granted the same entitlements as teachers. "If this is prioritised now, schools could be saved from weeks of turmoil."

Speaking at yesterday's protest, Fórsa general secretary Kevin Callinan urged those taking part in the strike action to "stay firm and we will win".

"I remember all those who went before over the last 35 years, who served as school secretaries and caretakers and left without a pension. I also think of those yet to come. That is what this fight is about. We need those in political power to account for how this is being allowed to continue."

The Department of Education and the Department of Public Expenditure had last night not replied to queries in relation to how much granting civil servant status would cost. However, Fórsa pointed to a 2019 estimate provided by the government which states that access to the pension scheme for its 2,000 school secretary members would cost €30m-€35m and that was including retrospection.

The Department of Education also did not respond to questions concerning the promised pay agreement for caretakers.

Photo: School secretaries and caretakers pictured at a rally outside Leinster House this morning as they began indefinite strike action organised by Fórsa trade union. (Pic: Leah Farrell/RollingNews.ie)