Industrial Relations
Dail Éireann — 2026-07-16
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Shónagh Ní Raghallaigh (SF), Kildare South

I am very aware of and appreciate the work that has gone into this in recent years, but the local bargaining agreement being off the table now is a matter of serious concern and insult to SNAs. That pay increase should have been protected and maintained, irrespective of the ballot outcome on the new plan. Will the Minister of State reverse this decision to allow talks to continue in good faith?
SNAs rejected the plan because they felt more and more was being put on them without adequate recognition or compensation. There remains uncertainty around when hours will be completed, the additional time that SNAs will be required to be on site, and the impact this may have on opportunities to supplement their income, such as the bus escorts after school. There are also concerns around redeployment, such as insecurity of fixed-term contracts following redeployment and the loss of seniority. SNAs receive no additional payment for State examinations, no extra personal vacation, EPV, days for the summer programme and no allowances for working in special schools, DEIS schools or Gaelscoileanna. At the same time, they remain excluded from important decision-making processes despite the plan's emphasis on collaborative planning. All of these issues highlight a fundamental lack of respect that remains unaddressed by the plan.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/dail/2026-07-16/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-27T06:52:17+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-07-16