Full Document:
What you need to know
Circular 0078/2026 covers planned work stoppages on 14th and 21st October 2026, and any further one-day stoppages in this industrial action.
School management must decide whether it is safe to open, considering expected staff participation and health and safety risks. Closure is not automatic. If closing, give families sufficient notice to make alternative arrangements.
Participating staff lose pay for strike days; their next increment is delayed accordingly. Strike days do not count towards pensionable service and cannot be bought back.
Principal’s checklist, with school management:
- Assess expected staffing and safety; decide whether to open.
- If closing, notify parents, guardians and pupils in good time.
- If strikes proceed, record attendance or absence for all teaching and non-teaching staff on each date.
- For Department-paid staff rostered to work who strike, record OLCS “School Business” → “Strike In School”. Record other leave normally.
- Do not record an OLCS leave absence for staff who indicate availability to work when the school closes on health and safety grounds.
- Arrange equivalent reporting for staff outside Department payroll and notify the appropriate payroll within a reasonable timeframe.