Press Release 5 September 2025
Association of Community and Comprehensive Schools and the Joint Managerial Body Call for Urgent Resolution to School Secretaries and Caretakers Dispute
The Association of Community and Comprehensive Schools (ACCS) and the Joint Managerial Body (JMB) are calling on the Government to intervene immediately and facilitate meaningful negotiations to resolve the ongoing industrial action taken by school secretaries and caretakers. Both organisations recognise the invaluable contribution of secretaries and caretakers to the daily life of schools. Their absence from our schools is being felt acutely, underlining the essential nature of their work.
Boards of Management Under Severe Strain
Boards of Management carry statutory responsibility under the Education Act 1998 and health and safety legislation for the governance of schools, including ensuring the safe and effective provision of education and the welfare of both students and staff.
This responsibility places principals, who act as secretaries to the Boards of Management, under enormous strain as they attempt to balance solidarity with staff and the day-to-day needs of students and staff in the context of the current industrial action.
Escalating Impact on School Leadership and Health & Safety
Principals are reporting intense pressures as they work to ensure schools remain functional and meet their statutory obligations, but without the vital support normally provided by secretaries and caretakers. They are managing building access and security, maintaining communications, and addressing operational gaps, all while safeguarding health and safety standards.
As a result, many of the core priorities of senior leaders are not being attended to, such is the pressure to keep schools operational. This burden is falling in the main on the shoulders of Principals and Deputy Principals, who are already stretched to capacity. Both organisations have long campaigned for additional Deputy Principals, and the present crisis starkly underlines the urgency of strengthening senior leadership capacity in schools.
Operational Stress across the System
The cumulative effect is one of mounting stress across the system, as Principals and Boards attempt to reconcile their responsibilities to students, parents, and staff. This situation cannot continue without immediate and constructive government intervention.
What We Call for:
1. Immediate Engagement: We urge the Departments of Education and Public Expenditure to engage urgently with Fórsa at the Workplace Relations Commission or another appropriate forum.
2. Interim Support Framework: Provide Boards of Management and principals with clear guidance on how to meet their statutory health and safety obligations during the dispute, and ensure that principals, in their role as secretaries to the Board of Management, are not left without the necessary direction and resources to carry out their governance responsibilities.
Quotes
Mary Jackson, President of the Association of Community and Comprehensive Schools (ACCS):
“The Community and comprehensive schools affected by this industrial action are experiencing the same acute pressures as the schools in other sectors. Boards of Management, Principals and Deputy Principals are working tirelessly to ensure that schools remain open, conditions in school buildings and on school sites remain safe, and that students and staff are supported, but the strain is becoming unsustainable. We urge Government to engage immediately so that this dispute can be resolved fairly and schools can operate with the essential supports in place.”
John Barry, President of the Joint Managerial Body (JMB): “School secretaries and caretakers are indispensable to the life of every voluntary secondary school. Their absence demonstrates just how much our schools rely on their dedication. At the same time, Boards of Management and principals are carrying out their statutory responsibilities without the vital supports they need. This untenable situation demands urgent resolution by Government.”
About Us
Joint Managerial Body (JMB) – The JMB is the management body for all voluntary secondary schools in the Republic of Ireland. It plays a leadership role at national level in the formulation, development, and implementation of education policy and represents the voluntary secondary school sector in negotiations on issues affecting the leadership and management of schools. The JMB also provides support, advice, and training across a wide range of operational and leadership areas in voluntary secondary schools.
Association of Community and Comprehensive Schools (ACCS) – The ACCS is the management body for the Community and Comprehensive schools nationwide. It is one of the partners in education that participates actively in national decision making at Post-Primary level. The ACCS provides advice and support to schools, negotiation/policy setting and implementation, research, development and training to its member schools.