School secretaries and caretakers, who are engaging in strike action, will attend regional rallies across the country today to highlight their demands for public sector pensions and other entitlements.
Protests will take place in Dublin, Athlone, Cork, Bray and Sligo.
More than 2,600 school secretaries and caretakers, who are members of the Fórsa trade union, began indefinite strike action yesterday.
Hundreds of workers marched to the Department of Public Expenditure and then on to Leinster House.
The Department of Education has instructed schools to open as normal but unions have told their members to support the striking workers by refusing to carry out the duties of secretaries and caretakers.
Some schools have issued updates to parents warning that there will disruptions in areas such as office access, the answering of phone calls and replying to emails.
On Wednesday, exploratory talks at the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) failed to find a basis for negotiations.
Minister for Public Expenditure Jack Chambers has said his department cannot make any direct commitments in relation to measures being sought by school secretaries and caretakers.
Mr Chambers said it was regrettable that members of Fórsa had embarked on industrial action.
Acknowledging their “significant contribution” to school communities, he said the Department of Education remained available for further engagement at the WRC in an effort to resolve the dispute.
A spokesperson for the Department of Education and Youth said that it recognises the vitally important role of secretaries and caretakers within school communities.
“In recent years we have made progress in improving the terms and conditions of school secretaries.
“This has included secretaries being placed on the payroll of the department and linked to any increases in pay under public sector agreements, improved annual leave entitlements, improved maternity provisions and paid sick leave in excess of the statutory requirement.”
The department added that it is actively working with its education partners on putting in place contingency arrangements to minimise disruption and support the continuity of learning for all students.
