School secretary receives €6.02 an hour
While we are on the subject of cheap labour, have a look at this.
The situation of a Limerick school secretary receiving €6.02 an hour, that is €2.63 below the minimum wage, and this is after eight years working for the school, was revealed at an IMPACT trade union conference this week.
When the woman started at the school eight years ago, she received €225 for a 37.5 hour week, She still receives the same amount it was claimed. She would get more on Social Welfare with rent allowance.
Secretaries are due to ballot on low pay and conditions on May 21, and there could be a series of one day stoppages before the end of the school year.
Can you imagine a teacher having their wages frozen for eight years?
May 16th, 2008 at 1:41 pm
I wonder why she didn’t ask for a pay rise of look for a different job. Surely she was aware of the existance of a national minimum wage
May 16th, 2008 at 2:45 pm
I can’t imagine anyone having their wages frozen for eight years, particularly in the period of prosperity now passed.
Completely agree with jnyfoxs’ comment. As Secretary, she must have been aware of other staff in the school getting pay rises and of National Wage Agreements. Was she a member of IMPACT throughout this period or did the school management prevent her Union membership?
May 16th, 2008 at 3:50 pm
Why the comment about teachers have a pay freeze, teachers don’t pay her. You might as well say imagine dell workers having their wages frozen. It the government bodies that pay her or at worst the school management or local VECs.
May 16th, 2008 at 3:57 pm
@irishshogun
The difference is that schools would have more than one teacher, which means they could unite and stop the school from functioning. where as the lowly school secretary would be on their lonesome.
May 16th, 2008 at 4:22 pm
The boards of management can’t be left off the hook here.
At the very least National Minimum Wage levels must be adhered to. I hope that they recieve back pay and interest for this. It’s a disgrace to see schools taking advantage of people in this manner.
May 16th, 2008 at 8:48 pm
€225 a week is enough to pay for rent, a tv license for the month, bin tax, food, the electricity and heat bills provided she doesn’t leave the immersion on for too long, etc. You can live on that easily. She probably has a husband who works too so it’s not like they’re anywhere close to being in the poverty trap. You want good money to buy nice things, you get a good job. There’s a reason consultants get paid €240,000 a year and secretaries can get paid €10,800 a year.
Social Welfare is too much though. And the fact that drug dealers are still claiming it is disgusting.
May 16th, 2008 at 9:21 pm
Where do you live redsky, 1890s Russia? €225 is bog all in this day and age.
May 16th, 2008 at 9:48 pm
@redsky
At least it got her out of the house.
May 17th, 2008 at 12:11 am
Redsky, I was a secretary and earning a lot more than double what she was. Dont understand why you would accept to work for that amount though. Everybody glances at the jobs advertised and salary offered, you would surely realise that you could be doing the same work and earning more money.
May 17th, 2008 at 7:53 am
Do you live in Ireland Redsky?
May 17th, 2008 at 3:55 pm
Redsky is extracting the urine lads, cant be serious. Squid regarding the teachers have a union stance, sorry but thats a lame reason for using the teachers wouldn’t put up with it comment. If shes stupid, yes I said stupid! enough to accept less than the minimum wage she needs her head examined. I’m in no way condoning her getting screwed over but come on! who doesn’t know about the minimum wage at this point. Shes not on her lonesome as you state, she covered and protected bylaw, they have to accept it, end of story.
May 17th, 2008 at 5:39 pm
red sky your definately on another planet and your comtradicting yourself by presuming that she has ahusband with agood job so as you say they are not on the poverty line
you my dear man try and live on 225 a week
May 17th, 2008 at 8:39 pm
On the face of it, it makes no sense to take such a low wage. But some of us may have our heads in the sand. Some people may be happier to take low wages and have possibility of qualifying for a Doctor Only Card or a Medical Card. It might be worth a lot more to them in real terms, not to mention in helping them feel secure if an high medical costs are present in the family and could get worse at any time. The minimum wage is impossible unless you are a recluse, an immigrant living four to a room or RedSky and accepting lower wages may well give some people the dignity of work plus qualifying for some safety net benefits. We can’t even begin to understand the precarious situation people who didn’t benefit from the Celtic Tiger visit can find themselves in.
May 17th, 2008 at 11:25 pm
Well said Roisin none of ye know what exactly the situation was and how she found herself being agreeable. I’ve seen people take extraordinary amounts of abuse from bosses and been flabbergasted as to why? But they had their reasons. Personally I would have told them where to shove it.
But to live and work in a modern society its not all black and white.
May 18th, 2008 at 8:06 am
well said mary and rosin
im beginning to think that this mr res sky is actually one of those greedy fat cat bosses who pay pittance to workers thats why hes so defensive
May 18th, 2008 at 3:34 pm
I’ve no sympathy for this person, she could and should have spoken with her feet, if she is willing to work for that amount then let her be paid that amount, the Celtic tiger was her when she was working for that amount its not like there were no other jobs out there, probably a lazy so and so anyway. You get paid what your worth
May 18th, 2008 at 7:07 pm
Kevin, if she was lazy so and so she would not be out working for 6.02 an hour, she would be probably be on the dole getting more money.
May 18th, 2008 at 9:29 pm
kevin ‘you get paid what your worth’ really human trafficing comes to mind. Slavery is another word that might be appropriate.
May 19th, 2008 at 8:08 am
I agree with Kevin, if she didn’t like the pay why is she still working there, its not like secretarial work is scarce, why is she working in that job,
Ann human trafficking and slavery, is that not a small bit over the top, we are talking about a secretarial job here …. in Ireland… would you work
for 6.02 an hour I wouldn’t I wouldn’t take a job if they were offering that kind of wages so why did she,
May 19th, 2008 at 8:41 am
One reason she may have taken the job and stayed with the job would be that the hours suited her because she could finish work at the same time her kids finished school. Lads, don’t you remember that when you came home from school your Mammy was there to wash your muddy sports kit and smile at your spotty face? Well, some of the Mammies went out and worked while you were learning. Though, honest to God, judging by the way some of you turned out and your one dimensional, self-obsessed, I’m-all- right-Jack thinking, you’d seriously wonder about what some of you actually learned!
May 19th, 2008 at 12:10 pm
calm Down Roisin, your getting all emotional, are you speculating or is that the actual reason she kept the job, as the story says she would get more on the social welfare with rent allowance so why would you work for less and she could still work 20 hours a week and pick up her kids and it wouldn’t affect her social welfare, if that is the reason she was working, her working doesn’t make sense.
May 19th, 2008 at 1:31 pm
I think we are all speculating about this woman. We don’t even know, for instance, if she is even renting a house. What is for certain though is that we all need to realise that people have all kinds of circumstances in their lives that lead to all kids of choices and we should not sit in judgement on anyone. Though, of course, I absolutely reserve the right to sit in whatever kind of judgement I like about dismissive gits who take care only of themselves and don’t seem to realise that many other people’s decisions are not motivated purely by what is best for them, but also bear in mind what is best for their families.
May 19th, 2008 at 2:14 pm
Your gone off on another rant there Roisin
May 19th, 2008 at 2:58 pm
Ah, the cap is fitting then SkyGuy, hence playing the woman and not the ball. And the word is ‘You’re’!
May 19th, 2008 at 6:47 pm
Skyguy I was merely wondering just what could possibly be the meaning of Kevin’s comment! “You get paid what your worth”
€6.02 per hour is slave labour! To continue to recieve it begs a question as to why continue to work for it.
If I was paid what I was worth then I’d be a rich girl…