How do the men in charge of Ireland’s unions fare on pay and conditions?
TAOISEACH BRIAN Cowen has warned that the prospect of cuts in pay and pensions in the public service will have to form part of the consideration in the forthcoming budget.
His warning came as thousands of private sector workers come to terms with substantial cuts in pay alongside the cost of restructuring in occupational pension schemes that are deep in the red.
Trade unions have been quick to respond to the Government’s hardline approach, with Impact’s Peter McLoone warning that strikes in the public sector, even ahead of the budget, are “almost inevitable”.
But what about the men, and they are all men, in charge of Ireland’s top unions? How do they fare on pay and conditions? And what about their outside interests?
Seven of 16 trade union leaders would not disclose their income levels following requests from The Irish Times. Of those who did respond to requests for information, salary levels ranged from in excess of €170,000 down to less than €70,000.
Almost all were in defined-benefit pension schemes run by their employer and, apart from David Begg, none had other income from their membership of boards or other activities.
Begg, general secretary of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions, has a salary of €137,400, is a member of a defined-benefit scheme and has a “company car”.
By way of his position with Ictu, he is on the boards of Aer Lingus and the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI), and is a member of the National Economic and Social Council. He receives a fee of €32,000 (gross) from Aer Lingus, which goes to Ictu, and receives no fee from the other two bodies.
In a personal or non-congress capacity, he is a governor of the Irish Times trust, and a director of the Central Bank, for which he receives fees of, respectively, €10,960 and €15,750, according to a spokesman. This makes for a total annual income of €164,110.
The highest-paid trade union executives who responded positively to requests for information were Peter McLoone of Impact, and John Carr of the Irish National Teachers’ Organisation (INTO).
McLoone has an income of €171,313. Impact has 65,000 members, about half of whom are in the health sector, with a third in local government. Pay grades for union staff are linked to rates in local government, and McLoone’s salary is the equivalent of that of the Cork county manager.
Staff travel and other expenses available to union staff are in accordance with Civil Service regulations. McLoone is not a member of any board. The Impact staff rates are published.
Carr has an annual salary of €172,000 and is a member of a defined-benefit pension scheme. He has no additional benefits. He is a member of a number of bodies, such as the governing body of UCD, for which he receives no fees. The INTO has approximately 30,000 members in the Republic and 5,000 in Northern Ireland.
The three national executive officers of the State’s largest union, Siptu, each earned €124,895 in 2008. They are general president Jack O’Connor, vice-president Brendan Hayes, and general secretary Joe O’Flynn. Their pay rates are in the union’s annual report. O’Connor is not a member of any board. Hayes was on the recent Commission on Taxation, but did not accept a fee for his work. Flynn is a director of Bord Gáis, for which he is paid a fee of approximately €15,000, which goes to the union. The union has approximately 215,000 members, two-thirds of whom are in the private sector.
The general secretary of the Association of Secondary Teachers in Ireland (Asti), John White, has a salary of €144,000. He pays into a defined-contribution pension scheme. He has a car, and expenses are at Civil Service rates, a spokeswoman said. The association has 18,450 members.
The general secretary of the Teachers’ Union of Ireland (TUI), Peter MacMenamin, is paid according to a grade system linked to Civil Service grades that sets his salary at between €131,748 and €150,712, a spokesman said. The salary is the equivalent of assistant secretary grade in the Civil Service.
He has a car and is a member of a defined-benefit pension scheme to which he and his employer make contributions. The union has more than 15,000 members. He is not on any boards.
The general secretary of the Civil and Public Services Union (CPSU), Blair Horan, said he is on a salary of “about €120,000” and is a member of a defined-benefit scheme. He is a member of the National Economic and Social Forum, for which he receives no fee. The union has approximately 14,000 members.
The Irish secretary of the National Union of Journalists, Seamus Dooley, earns €73,624 and pays into a defined-benefit plan. The union has approximately 3,800 members in Ireland.
The Irish regional secretary of Unite, Jimmy Kelly, earns a salary of €67,000. The union has about 60,000 members in the Republic and 40,000 in Northern Ireland, with approximately 90 per cent being private sector workers. Kelly took up the position two years ago, and is a former Waterford Wedgwood worker. As such, he will receive little or no pension from the fund he paid into for almost 40 years.
A spokesman for the union said it is working at EU level to try to force the Government to implement an EU directive that provides for the creation of a fund to compensate such workers.
A number of trade unions approached would not disclose the income levels of their general secretaries.
The Communications Workers Union has approximately 18,000 members in the telecoms and postal worker areas. Its general secretary is Steve Fitzpatrick. A public relations officer working for the union said it would not comment on Fitzpatrick’s salary. “It is a matter between the union and its employees,” he said.
There was no response to a number of calls and messages left for the spokesman for the Irish Bank Officials’ Association (IBOA). The association represents more than 22,000 people in the financial sector, up to the branch manager grade. The general secretary of the association is Larry Broderick.
A spokesman for Mandate, which represents between 45,000 and 50,000 members in the bar and retail sectors, said it would not be disclosing the income paid to its general secretary, John Douglas.
Likewise, a spokesman for the Technical, Engineering and Electrical Union (TEEU), had no response to requests for information about the income of general secretary Owen Wills.
The union has approximately 45,000 members in the construction and manufacturing sectors.
A spokeswoman for the Irish Nurses’ Organisation said it would not be giving details about the salary paid to its general secretary, Liam Doran. The organisation has approximately 43,000 members.
There was no response to a series of messages left for the general secretary of the Public Service Executive Union, Tom Geraghty, over the past week. The union represents executive grades in the civil and public service and has approximately 10,000 members, according to its website.
Asked about his salary, the secretary general of the Association for Higher Civil and Public Servants, Dave Thomas, said he would need to get the details. He did not respond to subsequent messages left at his office.
NOT DISCLOSED: OTHER UNION LEADERS
John DouglasGeneral secretary, Mandate.
Members:45-50,000
Larry BroderickGeneral secretary, Irish Bank Officials Association.
Members:22,000
Tom Geraghty General secretary, Public Service Executive Union.
Members:10,000
Steve Fitzpatrick General secretary, Communications Workers Union of Ireland.
Members:18,000
Liam DoranGeneral secretary, Irish Nurses Organisation.
Members:43,000
Owen WillsGeneral secretary, Technical Engineering and Electrical Union.
Members:45,000
Dave Thomas General secretary, Association for Higher Civil Public Servants.
Members:18,000
