The Fórsa trade union has commenced a ballot of school secretaries for indefinite strike action in a dispute over pensions.
The union represents more than 2,300 school secretaries in primary and secondary schools.
Fórsa said the move to ballot for indefinite strike action reflects the level of frustration with the continued exclusion of school secretaries from the public service pension scheme.
Fórsa's Head of Education Andy Pike said a 2023 agreement with the Department of Education successfully standardised pay and conditions for school secretaries, ending years of disparity in pay, contracts, and job security.
"However, the agreement did not include pension provision under the Single Public Service Pension scheme, and this has left a significant gap in the effort to achieve full equality," Mr Pike said.
"Fórsa has consistently argued that pension justice is an essential and inseparable part of the process of regularising school secretaries into Department of Education employment," he added.
Fórsa said it is continuing to urge the Department of Education and the Department of Public Expenditure to re-engage meaningfully on the matter.
The ballot will conclude on Tuesday 11 June.
A spokesperson for the Department of Education said the school remains the employer of school secretaries, and it is their obligation to provide access to a personal retirement savings account (PRSA) scheme for employees.
"For secretaries who are paid through the Department of Education's administered payroll, a facility is now being offered to join a PRSA scheme administered by Cornmarket with contributions being deducted at source," the spokesperson said.
They added that the granting of public servant status is not within the scope of the Department of Education and is something that would have to be considered by the Department of Public Expenditure.
