115 school secretaries in Wexford now paid by the state

Senator Malcolm Byrne announced that 212 school secretaries in Wicklow and Wexford are now being paid by the State, following a successful campaign.

This change is part of new measures for grant-funded school secretaries, resulting from negotiations at the Workplace Relations Commission. Currently, there are 2,745 secretaries on payroll across Ireland, with many employed in primary and post-primary schools. Senator Byrne expressed appreciation for the important role of school secretaries in the community, highlighting that 97 are in Wicklow and 115 in Wexford. Minister Norma Foley confirmed the payroll service for these secretaries and mentioned ongoing efforts to achieve similar recognition for school caretakers. A survey was recently conducted to gather information on grant-funded caretakers to support this initiative.