Primary and secondary school students are looking at plenty of disruption, with over 2,000 secretaries and caretakers preparing for an indefinite strike once the summer break is over.

Fórsa, which represents more than 2,300 school secretaries working in primary and secondary schools, as well as 500 school caretakers, told the Oireachtas Committee on Education and Youth the mandate for indefinite strike action comes after the union’s efforts to secure access for school secretaries to the Single Public Service Pension Scheme.

Fórsa’s Head of Education Andy Pike said school secretaries and caretakers remain excluded from the scheme, despite being on the Department of Education’s centralized payroll since 2023.

There are concerns that the strike, which is due to get underway on the 28th of August, could affect schools’ opening hours.

To discuss this further, Alan Morrissey was joined by Bernie Dillon, Secretary at St Senan’s Primary School in Kilrush and Rena McGrath, Vice-chairperson and Treasurer of Fórsa School Secretaries Branch on the Clare/Galway border.