“This is about fairness”: Fórsa's Shane Lambert on why school secretaries and caretakers are striking

Shane Lambert, Fórsa’s Director of Education, with responsibility for SNAs, secretaries, caretakers and the School Completion Programme, says the dispute is rooted in a decades old injustice.

“At its core, this is about equality and parity,” he explains. “Secretaries and caretakers were once considered public servants. But in the mid-80s that changed, and they were placed on inferior contracts devised by boards of management. That created a two-tier system, and while some progress has been made, they remain excluded from key entitlements like public service pensions.”

Fórsa is now demanding access to pensions, proper sick leave, critical illness leave and bereavement leave. “We’re not asking for the same pay as teachers,” Lambert stresses. “What we want is for secretaries and caretakers to be recognised as public servants, so that the calculations on pay and pensions are made fairly. At the moment, two people can be hired by the same board, paid by the same Department, but only one is treated as a public servant. That isn’t acceptable.”

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Lambert insists the strike is being driven by the members themselves, not union officials. “This isn’t a case of us dragging people into a fight. Our members have endured an absolute injustice for years, and they’ve told us enough is enough. The appetite is extraordinary, we had hundreds attending meetings nationwide and nearly 1,000 people at one gathering between in person and online. That tells you how determined they are.”

Shane explained "We are having a rally in Marion Square at 11 today, Monday , with people gathering from half 10. That will be a national rally, though some may picket at their own schools. Tomorrow, there will be five regional rallies in various locations. From Monday, we will begin picketing schools regularly, with some variations for example, on Tuesday we will be back picketing TDs.”

The action has already led to disruption, with secretaries and caretakers withdrawing their labour, and other unions making clear their members will not cover the work. “Of course, disruption will grow the longer this continues,” Lambert acknowledges. “These are staff who play a critical role in the day today running of schools. They want to be there greeting the children in the morning, supporting principals and parents, but they’ve been left with no option.”

Talks at the Workplace Relations Commission have yet to produce results, and Lambert believes government attitudes remain rooted in a cutback mentality. “Since the 2010s, the Department of Public Expenditure has been fixated on keeping public service numbers and pay down. That might have been necessary during the recession, but now we’re talking about service provision, fairness and equality. Suppressing these workers can’t be the message we send in 2025.”

As the strikes move from rallies into daily pickets outside schools, Lambert says a fair solution looks like, “A written commitment to bring secretaries and caretakers into the pension scheme, and a time-bound process to work out the details. That’s all we’re asking for. Schools should be full public service workplaces, where every worker, from the principal to the caretaker, is treated fairly.”

For now, Fórsa says its members are prepared to continue until that fairness is recognised. “This has gone on too long,” Lambert concludes. “Our members just want to close this chapter and be treated with the respect they deserve.”