Labour Court Database __________________________________________________________________________________ File Number: CD8861 Case Number: LCR11754 Section / Act: S67 Parties: DEPARTMENTS OF EDUCATION AND FINANCE - and - LOCAL GOVERNMENT AND PUBLIC SERVICES UNION |
Pay and conditions of primary and secondary school secretaries.
Recommendation:
6. In the absence of any detailed job evaluation, the Court is
unable to determine the gradings which should apply to the
claimants. In these circumstances the Court cannot recommend that
any or all of the claimants should be re-graded.
Division: Mr Fitzgerald Mr Collins Mr O'Murchu
Text of Document__________________________________________________________________
CD8861 RECOMMENDATION NO. LCR11754
INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS ACTS, 1946 TO 1976
SECTION 67
PARTIES: DEPARTMENTS OF EDUCATION AND FINANCE
and
LOCAL GOVERNMENT AND PUBLIC SERVICES UNION
SUBJECT:
1. Pay and conditions of primary and secondary school
secretaries.
BACKGROUND:
1. Following a Labour Court hearing on a claim for grading of
school secretaries at grade 3 (VEC and Local Authority scales) in
1981, a joint working party was set up to examine the question.
The findings of this working party were that secretaries catering
for 30 teachers or more should be at grade 3. These findings were
finally implemented on January, 1st 1986.
2. The Union is claiming that all school secretaries should be
graded at grade 3, and that there should be provision for higher
duties above this (not based on the size of the school or the
number of teachers). The Union claims that (a) the complex nature
of the work done deserves at least Grade 3 and (b) that in VEC's
and certain community and comprehensive schools, the job is graded
from grade 3 up to grade 5.
3. The Departments claim that secretaries are correctly graded at
grade 2. Where they are at grade 3, it is because of greater
workload or higher duties previously agreed and now continued on a
personal to holder basis. There are simply not enough sanctioned
posts at CO (grade 3) level to concede the claim. The Department
claims that this position is supported by LCR No. 4906 of
31/10/78. Agreement could not be reached on the matter at local
level, and on 21st July, 1987, the matter was referred to the
conciliation service of the Labour Court. A conciliation
conference took place on 2nd December, 1987, the earliest date
convenient for the parties. Agreement was not reached, and on
22nd January, 1988, the matter was referred to the Labour Court
for investigation and recommendation. A Court hearing took place
in Dublin on 25th February, 1988.
UNION'S ARGUMENTS:
4. 1. The rate of pay for the job should be the same for all
school secretaries. Whereas a larger school with a larger
staff does generate more volume and in some respects more
responsibility, the additional work is more a question of
volume than responsibility. The range of duties and
responsibilities remain the same whether one has 29 or 30
teachers to cater for.
2. The position of school secretary in primary and secondary
schools, conforms in broad terms with the criteria laid down
for grade 3 jobs in the Job Evaluation and Grading Report for
Vocational Education Committees. (Details supplied to Court).
3. The position of the claimants grades compares favourably
with the grade of secretary in community and comprehensive
schools. Following Labour Court intervention some years ago,
all of these secretaries were re-graded to grade 3 on a
personal basis, regardless of the numbers of teachers employed
in the school.
4. The position of the workers must also be viewed against
the background of findings in the City of Dublin V.E.C.
Regrading Report. This was the only area in which there was a
detailed job evaluation of secretarial jobs in schools.
Following that examination in 1983, a number of upgradings
took place, (details supplied to Court).
5. From these findings it is clear that no school was found
to merit less than a grade 3 and a majority of schools in
fact justified grade 4 and in one case grade 5 grading.
DEPARTMENTS' ARGUMENTS:
5. 1. As far as the Departments are concerned, this claim is
without justification given that recommendations of the
Working Party, consisting of both representatives of the L.G.
& P.S.U. and Department, have been fully implemented.
2. The recommendation of the working party was quite
specific, i.e. that those serving a total of 30 teachers or
more should be upgraded. There is no case on the basis of the
working party's report for the further regradings now claimed.
The Departments are fully satisfied that the posts are
properly graded at the level recommended by the working party.
It should also be borne in mind that the report of the working
party was furnished as recently as September, 1984 and that
the recommendations were implemented in 1986. There have been
no developments since the working party report which would
warrant a departure from its joint recommendations.
5. 3. There are at present 38 V.E.C.'s. In 37 of them second
level 'school secretaries' are at either grade 2 or grade 3
level. In fact in the V.E.C.'s school secretaries have
traditionally been graded at grade 2 level. In 1987 it was
agreed that the same formula would be applied to them as had
been applied in the case of school secretaries in primary and
secondary schools, i.e. that those serving 30 teachers or more
would be graded at grade 3 level.
4. School secretaries at grade 4 level are exclusive to the
City of Dublin V.E.C. and do not exist elsewhere. The
existence of the grade in the City of Dublin is not, in
itself, a reason for extending it to schools in the 37 other
V.E.C.'s. The grade was introduced into the City of Dublin
schools following recommendations by a survey team on the
grading structure appropriate to C.D.V.E.C. That survey team
(which reported in 1983) was comprised of four persons, two of
whom were later to form the working party which examined the
posts in the national and secondary schools. It is regarded
by the Department as significant that the working party - who
were fully aware of the grading situation in C.D.V.E.C. - did
not see fit one year later to express the views that grading
at a level above grade 3 could be justified for some posts in
national and secondary schools.
5. Apart from any other considerations, the cost of
conceeding grade 3 status to those of the claimants who are at
grade 2 level would be in the region of #923,000. Additional
costs would of course be incurred if grade IV status were to
be conceded in the case of any posts. Concession of the claim
would inevitably have repercussive additional costs. It is
submitted that it is inappropriate to incur a cost of this
order in current circumstances.
RECOMMENDATION:
6. In the absence of any detailed job evaluation, the Court is
unable to determine the gradings which should apply to the
claimants. In these circumstances the Court cannot recommend that
any or all of the claimants should be re-graded.
~
Signed on behalf of the Labour Court.
21st March, 1988 Nicholas Fitzgerald
P.F./M.F. Deputy Chairman