PRINCIPALS throughout West Cork are honouring strike action taken by school secretaries and caretakers by not answering office phones or emails.
Alan Foley, the principal of St Patrick’s National School in Skibbereen told The Southern Star on Monday, the first day of the indefinite strike by the Fórsa trade union members: ‘We met last week and it was agreed they would carry on the strike as long as possible and that we would support them.’
He said: ‘The strike was a long time coming. Secretaries and caretakers need to be shown the same courtesy and respect as other staff members in school.
‘The fact that they don’t have access to a public service pension is a joke. We, as a school, are fully supporting them. We are not going to be carrying on the duties that our secretary and caretaker would normally do, so there are no phones or emails being answered at the moment.’
Secretaries and caretakers protested outside Minister Christopher O’Sullivan’s office in Clonakilty on Tuesday, and outside the offices of other Government politicians, including Taoiseach Micheal Martin, across Cork.
Skibbereen-based principal Alan Foley said he hopes the strike would be resolved sooner rather than later because: ‘It is disruptive, especially at the start of the school year. Although it has come at the worst time, we are fully behind it and will support our colleagues.
‘Lorraine and Brendan, our secretary and caretaker, are fantastic and they are hardworking. They don’t want to be on strike, they want to be inside here.’
In showing respect for the strike Alan Foley said: ‘Our office is closed and that will go on indefinitely as long as the strike goes on.’
Ingrid Tierney, a secretary at Glandore National School, spoke of the great support she got from the teachers at the 71-pupil school.
‘To be the only person doing public sector work and to be excluded is unfair.’ She also said: ‘It is humiliating to be the only one standing outside the school, especially since we have been trying to get this sorted out since the campaign started in June.
‘There are lots of us on our own, but we feel supported by our colleagues and the entire school community,’ she added.
Teaching principal at Union Hall National School, Cllr Brendan McCarthy (FG) acknowledged that the strike is going to be disruptive, especially as it comes at the start of the school
year.
He said: ‘It was great on Monday to see parents and staff showing solidarity with Tizzy Best, our secretary.’
Tizzy said: ‘I am so surprised and disappointed by the complete lack of government engagement. I can’t believe it has gone this far to be honest, but I am heartened by the support shown by my school community.’
