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Gorey Community School strike – September 6, 2025
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Irish School Strikes: Impact on Life
nnBrian Dowling, a Gorey Community School caretaker of 19 years who previously worked in finance, described his job as a vocation, involving everything from broken windows to overflowing toilets and leaky roofs. The ongoing strike, which had lasted a week and a half by that point, forced the school to limit attendance to half its student body, cancel hot meals, and ask students to take their rubbish home.nnThe piling waste became a major concern for Principal Finn by Tuesday. He worried about maintaining a "harmonious environment" onc the dispute ended. The following day, Wednesday, Finn detailed the escalating rubbish crisis. After consulting with the Association of Community and Comprehensive schools, the Department of Education suggested hiring a contract cleaning company. On Thursday, workers from Advance Cleaners, a local Wexford firm, were brought in to clear the accumulated rubbish.This decision, described as being "between a rock and a hard place," understandably angered the striking staff, who felt it was "a kick in the teeth," though senior management reportedly offered their full support.nnThe hiring of external cleaners "stirred up a hornet's nest," creating palpable tension within the school community. This move, intended to mitigate the strike's impact, coincided with the strikers' belief that the entire school community was behind them.nnBy Friday, the strike's atmosphere was described as "febrile" both locally and nationally. Calls for government intervention intensified. In the afternoon,parents joined the picket line,holding placards and voicing their su",
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A pungent odor greeted Principal Michael Finn at Gorey Community School at 7 a.m. on Wednesday, a stark warning from the largest school in the country. With its three caretakers on strike, waste management had ground to a halt, raising fears of vermin and a potential “game over” scenario. This situation quickly became a symbol for the broader industrial action, highlighting stark disparities in employment terms for school support staff.
The core issue revolved around unequal entitlements for school secretaries and caretakers. While staff in State ETB schools enjoy full public sector pensions and benefits, others, particularly those hired after the mid-1990s, do not. At Gorey Community School, this division was particularly evident: two of its four secretaries, doing identical work, were State employees with full benefits, while the other two were employed directly by the school on less favorable terms. Similarly, one of the three caretakers was on strike, citing “crappy conditions.”
The strike aimed for equal treatment for all school secretarial and caretaking staff, seeking access to pensions, sickness benefits, and other public sector entitlements.
Brian
