People Before Profit Cllr Adrienne Wallace has appealed to parents and workers alike to support local School Secretaries ahead of their strike on Wednesday.
In a statement she said:
“For over 15 years School Secretaries have not only worked supporting our families’ futures by keeping our schools running – even through the Covid chaos – but they have also been campaigning for pay parity for everyone who does this vital job and this needs to be recognised.
Despite government party pre-election promises, School Secretaries got a deflating paltry 0.50p increase this year. Their demands are clear in the documents they have written with Fórsa: give all School Secretaries parity with Department employed staff.”
Cllr Wallace added “School Secretaries are vital people in our communities. Their pay shouldn’t just be whatever is allotted from ancillary grants. They are not ancillary, they are central, vital staff. Without secretaries the schools couldn’t function over the year.
School Secretaries should be properly supported not silenced. They are an overwhelmingly female workforce. The Government forces them to work for less than they are worth. They have proved that they can make the sacrifices for their communities. But what does it prove about this government that these working women are continuously denied decent employment? School Secretaries are right to strike when treated like this. We know parents and school students support our secretaries, I want to offer my support and I think it’s time for this government to do the same.”
The local branch of People Before Profit will be out on the gates of some local schools over the course of next week with leaflets encouraging parents to support the secretaries.
