Madam, – Reading “School secretaries to take industrial action over pay cuts” (March 5th) has set my blood boiling. Shame on the Department of Education that about 17,000 personnel – including school secretaries, caretakers and cleaners – have to resort to such action.
The latter personnel play a pivotal role in the smooth running of a school. I know because I worked as a primary school principal for 11 years. The essential work involved in office administration, ground and building maintenance and internal cleaning of school property is evident to every parent in Ireland.
Secretaries and caretakers currently employed before 1990 enjoy standardised pay and pension rights while those unfortunates coming in the past 20 years have to be content with what boards of management (voluntary workers) can afford to pay with the grant available. Equality is absent and this is a serious matter. It is not good enough that our schools’ ancillary staff should be financially penalised.
When I read that the sum for outgoing TDs tops €13 million in pension lump sums and termination payments and look at the atrocious underfunding for primary schools in Ireland, I have not the hyperbolic language to describe my emotions. – Yours, etc,