20 May 2025
The Fórsa trade union has commenced a ballot of school secretaries for indefinite strike action in a dispute over pensions.
The union represents more than 2,300 school secretaries in primary and secondary schools.
Fórsa said the move to ballot for indefinite strike action reflects the level of frustration with the continued exclusion of school secretaries from the public service pension scheme.
Fórsa's Head of Education Andy Pike said a 2023 agreement with the Department of Education successfully standardised pay and conditions for school secretaries, ending years of disparity in pay, contracts, and job security.
"However, the agreement did not include pension provision under the Single Public Service Pension scheme, and this has left a significant gap in the effort to achieve full equality," Mr Pike said.
"Fórsa has consistently argued that pension justice is an essential and inseparable part of the process of regularising school secretaries into Department of Education employment," he added.
Fórsa said it is continuing to urge the Department of Education and the Department of Public Expenditure to re-engage meaningfully on the matter.
The ballot will conclude on Tuesday 11 June.
The Department of Education has been contacted for comment.