More than 2,300 school secretaries at primary and secondary schools and 500 caretakers are to begin an indefinite strike on Thursday.
The strike action comes after talks at the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) failed to resolve the dispute over pensions on Wednesday.
The dispute is in relation to secretaries and caretakers’ exclusion from the public-service pension scheme.
A rally will take place outside the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform in Dublin on Thursday morning with further rallies outside the Department of Education and the Taoiseach and the Tánaiste’s constituency offices scheduled for Friday.
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Staff are also due to picket outside schools on Monday.
Trade union Fórsa said the Department of Education did not at any point outline its position on the request to admit secretaries and caretakers into the public service pension scheme during the talks.
Andy Pike, Fórsa’s head of education, said: “We went to the WRC in good faith, but yet again our members have been left with no clarity, or pathway to a fair pension.
“Our members are beginning this strike today because, despite decades of service, thousands of school secretaries and caretakers still face the prospect of retiring with no pension.
“The State’s continued refusal to give them the same employment status as their colleagues has locked out several generations of school staff from secure income in retirement. The policy is a calculated policy decision to maintain inequality.”
The WRC was of the view on Wednesday that the basis for constructive negotiations was not apparent despite exploring various options with the union and the department that could “enable meaningful engagement” towards a resolution of the dispute.
The WRC is expected to continue to engage in the coming days and remains “available to assist the parties in negotiating a mutually agreeable outcome”.
It is understood about 2,000 schools nationwide will be affected by the action, which received a 98 per cent backing from union members.
The department told school managers last week that every school is expected to open as usual, despite the disruption.
However, this has been disputed by those involved and by unions and associations representing teachers and principals.
