Strike Letter
Dear Parents/Guardians,
As you may be aware, industrial action by Fórsa union members (school secretaries and caretakers nationwide) will begin on Thursday, 28th August.
Our school secretary, Clare, will be:
- Thursday 28th: on the national picket in Dublin
- Friday 29th: at a regional base
- From Monday 1st September: on the picket line outside our school
Other school staff have been directed to work as normal but will support the picket during breaks. Both INTO (teachers) and Fórsa (SNAs/ANAs) have instructed members not to carry out duties normally done by striking staff.
What this means for parents
- Office phone – this will be answered as often as possible but voicemails may not be checked.
- Office email – will not be monitored. In case of an emergency, please email principal@sfaps.net or helen.fields@sfaps.net
- Contacting teachers – place a note in your child’s bag or speak to your child’s class teacher in the morning or afternoon.
- Office access – if you arrive late or collect early, you may need to wait until a staff member notices you outside.
- Early collection- please inform your teacher in writing via a note in their school bag/ or at drop off
- Letters from the office – cannot be requested during the strike.
- Aladdin / LunchBag queries – please contact those companies directly.
We will explain to the children what the strike means. We will tell them, in an age appropriate way, that sometimes people have to strike/stop working to get fair working conditions and that it's aimed at the Department of Education and the government and not them or the school.
Our Position
The Board of Management of St Francis of Assisi fully support Clare in this action. Clare plays a vital role in the daily running of our school and deserves parity of conditions with other staff.
We know this action will cause inconvenience, and we appreciate your patience. We encourage parents/guardians to share concerns with local representatives now and urge them to press the Government to engage with Fórsa before disruption to children’s education escalates.
If you have any questions about the industrial action, please contact principal@sfaps.net
Kind regards,
Johanne Dunne, on behalf of the Board of Management
