| Subject: | McNeice privileges v young doctors and EU legislation,author by Michelle Clarke (Comyn) – Social Justice and Ethics Tue Sep 03, 2013 16:26 |
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| Date: | Wed, 04 Sep 2013 19:17:18 +0100 |
| From: | Michelle Clarke |
| To: | Alan Shatter <Alan.Shatter@oireachtas.ie>, Alex White <Alex.White@Oireachtas.ie>, gary.culliton@imt.ie, Vincent Browne <vincent.browne@tv3.ie> |
Fri Aug 30, 2013 16:22
Mrs Hackett: Name the bridge after an exceptional woman
Today’s newspapers report that people working for McDonalds, Burger King and other outlets are considering strike action in the US. They realise now that the minimum wage is not enough; it cannot sustain the basic lifestyle of workers. Apparently, executives in McDonalds did a research study on the incomes of their workers and found many held second jobs. They expressed their amazement on how their workers could possibly live on the wages paid. The circle revolves and the people rise up and say, enough: we work, we need fair pay, we need pensions, we need work-hours and holidays, we need health cover. It is the service sector, the retail sector, the construction sector, the food sector, the public transport system who provide the services that give the infrastructure that the citizens need and use.
So zero-hours contracts beware.
Cloaked invitations yield from SIPTU, National Library, media and other bodies linked to trade unions to celebrate the anniversary of the 1913 lockout in Ireland but veiled they are in case any comparisons are made. People like Jim Larkin, Connolly, those dedicated people in the ITGWU who fought for basic human rights for people, and especially Mrs Hackett who is suggested as a name for the new bridge, would tell the people of today to heed the old saying ‘if you make yourself a door mat, a door mat you will be’.
Clerys staff are supposed to be inside those once distinguished doors sorting, clearing out, cleaning with hard hats on their heads as the builders work. Where are the trade unions like Siptu? What are the rights of these workers?
At last a woman:
Rosie Hackett is the name for the new bridge. Well done and rightly so for decades of work for people in need.
Can anyone ask how it is that some of our junior doctors have been so neglected that the IMO has not ensured that the hours of work are what the EU guidelines state?
Too busy working out deals for their own coterie of managers, consultants, GP’s. The lowly are the ones they use to do the hours and the patients – well they remain vulnerable to a bloated HSE anyway if they are public patients.
George McNeice as reported in the media is a scandal. How can a Chief Executive of the IMO a trade union at the age of 51 sideline a package of £24 million for himself? OK it was reduced to £9.7 but what does this say about all the other rank and file. We must note that the young doctors are the fodder here that don’t even merit (without going on strike), what the EU regulations say is law. (513 words)
Trade Unions and the loss of Integrity Ethics Transparency
Tuesday January 15, 2013 15:55
by Comyn – Social Justice Underclass
Dublin 1913 to Dublin 2013
What have we learned? What changes can be made?
Dublin 1913: It was before World War I, Ireland had negotiated a form of Home Rule/self government but there was inequality with extremes in wealth and poverty, nationalism and British Rule created the environment for dissent and rebellion. James Larkin “Big Jim” represented the low skilled workers and William Martin Murphy, a Catholic businessman represented the newly forming middle class. William Martin Murphy owned the Irish Independent newspaper, and the Dublin United Tramway Company and was making inroads against the power of the former elites.
The power of the Unions and Croke Park I and 2 is an urgent matter for discussion by the plain people of Ireland. There is a discrepancy in the integrity, transparency and ethics we expect from our trade unions.
Health is a good place to start.
Can someone please explain how the Ireland can pay their consultants 12 times higher than their equivalents in Hungary and double that of their counterparts in Germany or the UK?
How many more people in other trade unions share the characteristics and self interest that are now evidenced in the IMO deal with their former ‘trade union official’ (as he described himself in 1997). Mr. George McNeice was the public face of the union through his tenure at the IMO. This man worked for the Department of Health as a civil servant for a brief time before joining the IMO based in Fitzwilliam Place Dublin 2. Each year we know he was lauded by the doctors and consultants attending the IMO’s annual conference usually held in the Europe hotel in Killarney.
This supposedly unassuming low profile man, trade union official, was one smooth operator when it came down to negotiating his financial package as Chief Executive of the IMO. The facts as revealed in the Irish Mail on Sunday state that the former IMO President, Dr Cormac Macnamara RIP headed up the committee which approved George McNeices’s over generous contract in 1993. George McNeice, CE, IMO, aged 51, recently claimed that he was entitled to a ‘package’ of £24 million. This package is said to have provided him with an annual bonus of up to 30% of his salary. This bonus was compounded each year. The cruel irony here is the claim of not knowing the details by the Remuneration Committee. Could this be so? In 2013 could it be possible that someone in the IMO could sanction such a spectacular financial package and yet nobody knew about it. No must be the answer because there are too many vested interests in the medical profession and their bureaucracy and hence the pyramid scheme scenario that sees Ireland’s medical profession grossly overpaid for inadequate service.
Mr McNeice, his package, has been negotiated down to £9.7 million. But even this deal is shameful. This is a different financial scandal to those of the developers and bankers but it is linked to abuse of power, a form of narcissim and self interest and is equal to the financial scandals that must be dealt with. The HSE is a monolith of bureaucracy, an entity created by a few, which was no doubt better run under the auspices of the Department of Health.
Surely, others are aware and in turn are in receipt of substantial packages. Do we know? Do we care? Apparently doctors have resigned from the IMO and are seeking an inquiry into the governance of the IMO. This is a warning surely to the Unions to examine their practices.
Moving away from medical unions. What about the people who work for years for say Clerys. What do the unions really do to protect these people? They tend to change their contracts at will from permanent to part-time and then say no jobs exist and bye bye.
Comments (2 of 2)
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by O’Malley – Observer
Wed Jan 16, 2013 13:17
I agree to a point with the above posting. Our trade unions especially SIPTU have created themselves into a cosy corporate organisation. O’Connor has a salary of £140 plus expenses, package and no doubt a good pension annually. Beggs is similar and Frank Connolly has become almost invisible in SIPTU.
Back to McNeices pay-out (£20 million+ negotiated down to £9.7 million). Of course this is another scandal – the sad thing is – the total silence from all quarters on this. Reilly, Minister for Ill-health was a committee member in the 1990’s and one of the elite who sanctioned this payout. Where is the transparency – the ethics – the morals?
O’Malley (the alley cat)
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by Comyn – Observer Fri Jan 18, 2013 15:31
O’Malley
Glad you agree but where is the reaction of the people to this scandalous data released Christmas week by the IMO which represents 5,000 unionised doctors. All claim to know nothing but this cannot be so. As always the doctors seem to be reacting once the horse! has bolted and on this occasion the horse age 51 named McNeice had to have his pay package negotiated down from £24 million to £9.7. This man, I believe is neither a doctor, a banker or for that matter a shamed developer, just a man who subtly negotiated his own financial deal, in a silenced way, as he moved from a civil service position to Chief Executive of the IMO – the Union for the medical profession.
Media proves exceptionally quiet about this travesty. Vincent Browne discussed the unions on Monday night in his TV3 programme, and nobody deemed it necessary to mention this scandal in the making. Thankfully today’s Independent is taking a position and is worth reading. There sure are questions that Minister Reilly needs to answer like was he on the remuneration committee which approved the pay and pension deal for the IMO Chief Executives George McNeice (this ponzi plague that needs to be investigated to know just how much our Union officials are paid and the bias it thereby creates). Dr Reilly after all was President of the IMO in 2004-2005 hopefully making him and others privy to all financial information. The Independent heading reveals that the doctors have been ‘aroused to anger’ and aim to ‘oust the union head and probe finances’. An extraordinary General Meeting (EGM) has been called. They seek to remove the interim Chief Executive Niall Saul. The plan is an investigation dating back 12 years into the financial and management of the IMO. Let us take the initiative now as suggested by O’Malley and question exactly what is the unions are at in this country.
Who received what packages in the IMO is the question? Quite a few appear to have their hands in the pie. According to the Independent:-
George McNeice: who negotiated his deal down from £20 million+ to £10 million pension with £1.5 m lump sum. (Imagine the return each year on this amount of capital and pension!)
Paul McKeown IMO President: a meagre £105,000 for a part-time role. (Imagine this after tax amount, and what the balance creates as income or wealth generative)
Niall Saul, IMO Interim Chief Executive: who receives a £60,000 retainer + top up
Joe Barry, Chairman of the IMO now dissolved remuneration committee who receives £105,000 for a part time role.
What is going on?
Cronyism and the semi-state has received a lot of attention on Indymedia (see link on latest comments) but there is little outcome as we witness the gravy train of what could possibly be described as insider dealing and overall corrupt and fraudulent pratices. Is one position core to a union like the IMO and others not sufficient) Why do some people like Mr Saul, Mr McNeice gain income from other sources related to their position on the IMO – are there no volunteers left in this country which faces nearly 500,000 people unemployed.
They say 4 in 5 in the public service are in unions while only 1 in 5 in the private sector are in the union. This alone speaks dividends as we see the underclass formation before are very eyes.
We need to be alert. Years ago people read the newspapers, they visited their local, they had the chat and were informed. The time is here to be informed again.
Comyn
