The department also agreed to improve sick pay arrangements, though Fórsa says it is still pursuing full equalisation with ETB-employed secretaries. A 'good day to be a secretary'Noreen O’Callaghan, who has been a school secretary in Watergrasshill National School, Co Cork since 2001 said she was “absolutely delighted” with today's breakthrough. “When I started there were about 135 children [in Watergrasshill National School],” she said. "The government and relevant departments have conceded that like all workers, we should have statutory holiday and sick pay. Fórsa’s head of education Andy Pike said the outcome represented “a major victory” for school secretaries after a decades-long campaign.

Source: Irish Examiner September 14, 2021 12:21 UTC