School caretakers - Evening duties

Appendix 14

A) Full-time School Caretakers and Assistant School Caretakers

A full-time school caretaker and/or assistant school caretaker shall be paid overtime rates as laid down in Article 8 of the Memorandum of Agreement, in respect of duties and responsibilities arising from the use of the school which occurs after the normal finishing time on week-days and on Saturdays and Sundays, subject always to the following conditions:

A minimum payment as for 2 hours where there is a break between the caretaker's normal finishing time and the time of the commencement of the letting as booked – the period of time to be paid for at overtime rate is the time actually booked by the user together with such period as the caretaker is required to be in attendance to prepare the rooms for use at the commencement of the letting and to make and leave secure the school at the conclusion of the letting. This period will normally be 15 minutes each at the beginning and end of the letting (ie a total of half-an-hour) subject to (ii) below.
Where in exceptional circumstances, the normal time allowance referred to in (i) above for the preparation of the school before the commencement and/or at the conclusion of the letting is inadequate (eg where a substantial quantity of furniture has to be moved such as chairs, etc., placed in a large hall) the time so involved shall be assessed by the Department of Education and Children, added to the booked time of the letting and the total time paid for at overtime rates.
The caretaker and/or assistant caretaker can be required to be in attendance for the period of the letting and to perform normal caretaking work during that time.
The supplement for work carried out during "unsocial hours" shall be payable in accordance with the provisions contained in Article 13 Paragraph B of the Memorandum of Agreement in relation to work performed by school caretakers under this clause.

Last updated: 1 September 2015

Examples

A room is booked for use between say 7pm and 9pm – the normal time allowed for the preparation of the rooms is 15 minutes and a further 15 minutes is allowed to make and leave the premises secure at the end. The caretaker will be paid 2.5 hours at overtime rates and the 'unsocial hours' supplement of one-fifth of the hourly rate for 1.25 hours (ie from 8pm to 9.15pm).
The room has been booked by an organisation for 1 hour say between 7.30pm to 8.30pm – the normal time allowed for the preparation of the room is 15 minutes and a further 15 minutes is allowed to make and leave secure the premises at the end. The caretaker will be entitled to the minimum payment of 2 hours overtime rate and the 'unsocial hours' supplement of one-fifth of the hourly rate for 45 minutes (ie from 8pm. to 8.45pm).
A Parent-Teacher Association meeting is held between say 4.30pm and 6.30pm and the caretaker's normal finishing time is say 6pm. In these circumstances the caretaker will be entitled to 45 minutes pay at overtime rates (ie from 6pm to 6.45pm).
A hall is booked for use between say 7.30pm and 9.30pm and the caretaker is required to place and later remove a substantial number of chairs for which work the time is assessed at half-an-hour at each end of the letting. In these circumstances, the caretaker will be paid 3 hours at overtime rates, and the 'unsocial hours' supplement of one-fifth of the hourly rate for 2 hours (ie from 8pm to 10pm).

B) School Cleaners-in-Charge

The agreement shall apply to school cleaners-in-charge, or any other part-time employee, whose terms of appointment provide for a working week of less than 37 hours, except that payment shall not be made at overtime rates until 37 hours have been worked in any one week.

C) Repealed Regulations

It is confirmed that the 1969 Regulations for full-time caretakers have been superseded by this amendment to the Memorandum of Agreement and no longer operate.

Notes

A 'letting' shall be construed as covering evening school and similar usages arranged by the Department of Education and Children.
A school 'cleaner-in-charge' who is employed for, say, 34 hours per week and during a week the school is booked for lettings for a total period of 6 hours should be paid for the first 3 hours at plain time rate and for the remaining 3 hours which are in excess of 37 hours at overtime rate.
The Department of Education and Children will supply the caretaker with a Letting Authorisation form indicating the time booked by the user of the premises. Time claimed over and above the authorised period (excluding the 15 minutes each at the beginning and end of the letting) must be certified by the Department's Supervising Foreman of Caretakers and Cleaners. This is intended to protect the Caretaker and also the Department of Education and Children.