Mayo councillor calls for fair deal for school secretaries and caretakers

Mayo councillor Harry Barrett has urged government action to resolve the long-running dispute over pay and conditions for school secretaries and caretakers, many of whom are currently on strike.

Speaking this week as schools reopened across the county, councillor Barrett said the staff who “hold our schools together” have been left without basic entitlements such as pensions, bereavement leave and critical illness leave, despite decades of service.

He said: “They voted by 90% to down tools because they’ve simply had enough of being treated as second-class staff. It’s time to end this unfair treatment. Our school secretaries and caretakers deserve dignity, respect and security for the vital work they do.”

Councillor Harry Barrett called on Minister of State Alan Dillon, Castlebar, to intervene directly with the Minister for Education to help secure a fair settlement.

“Everyone in a school knows the value of these workers. They are the first face you meet at the door, they keep the place running and they save schools thousands every year.

Yet when it comes to retirement, they get nothing more than a bunch of flowers while others in education retire on full pensions.

Too many of them are left working on into old age just to make ends meet. That is deeply unfair,” he said.

The Castlebar municipal district councillor blasted the government for what he views as over two decades of inaction.

“This has been going on for more than 20 years. Governments of all colours have ducked the issue, leaving secretaries and caretakers without the basic rights any worker should have.

That failure has now brought us to this strike.

I am calling on Minister Dillon to use his position to break the deadlock and support these workers who are the backbone of our local schools,” he added.