The general secretary of the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation, Liam Doran, has refused to disclose details of his salary.
Mr Doran said the salary of any member of the INMO was solely a matter for that person and the organisation.
Speaking at a press conference on the union’s plans for industrial action next month, Mr Doran referred to the need for improved pay and conditions for nurses to help resolve the issues involved in emergency department overcrowding.
He was then tackled about his own pay by journalists who referred to the controversy within the Irish Farmers’ Association over executive salary levels.
IFA chief executive Pat Smith departed last week shortly before it was revealed he earned over € 500,000 in 2013.
Mr Doran said the INMO didn’t engage in public comment about salaries in the union and the issue was fully addressed in its annual report.
The matter was also considered in private session at the annual conference each year.
“I make no comment about any member of staff employed by INMO because that’s a matter between them and the employer.”
INMO president Claire Mahon said the questions were a distraction from the real issue of the emergency department crisis.
“I don’t think any of the salaries in the organisation should be brought into the debate,” she said.
