Talks will begin this week aimed at improving the terms and conditions of hundreds of secretaries and caretakers employed directly by boards of management in State-funded schools.

The Impact trade union, which represents the staff concerned, is seeking parity for them with the terms and conditions of similar personnel employed by the Department of Education.

It is understood more than half of these non-teaching staff are paid directly by the schools through an ancillary grant. The staff concerned are in receipt of a variety of rates, but virtually all are believed to receive amounts below the common pay scales of those paid directly by the Department of Education.

Impact represents 670 school secretaries. It says the majority have their terms and conditions set by individual school boards of management. The union is looking for the introduction of standardised terms and conditions for all secretaries and caretakers across the country’s 4,000 schools, whether they are employed directly by boards of management or the Department of Education.

Side agreement

The new talks process was agreed under a side deal negotiated by the union with the Government in parallel with the recent Lansdowne Road accord on public service pay and pensions. Under the side agreement it was agreed the issue would be referred to a new process that involved arbitration and which would be completed by mid-September.

The Lansdowne Road talks last May were used by unions and management, in addition to the substantive issue of public service pay and pensions, as a form of clearing house to address a range of other outstanding claims and grievances.

The Government has consistently refused to publish the details of these side deals although most have been leaked or highlighted by unions to their members. The Irish Times published details of most of the side agreements shortly after the conclusion of the Lansdowne Road talks last May.