Downey to ‘step back’ from IFA during pay review
The announcement was made late last night after a lengthy meeting at IFA headquarters in Dublin.
The IFA revealed that Mr Downey is on a salary of €147,000 while deputy president Tim O’Leary is paid €35,000.
Former chief economist Con Lucey will return to the organisation to lead the review. Mr O’Leary will take over while the review takes place.
In a statement, Mr Downey apologised and said mistakes had been made.
“Mistakes have been made and I want to apologise for that. Steps have been taken to ensure that past mistakes are never repeated,” he said.
Mr O’Leary pledged to rebuild the trust of the organisation’s membership following the disclosure of the remuneration of former general secretary Pat Smith, which he said was “indefensible”.
“Con Lucey will carry out a comprehensive review to address any inadequacies in our structures, and will come back to executive council with recommendations. There will be full transparency and accountability from now on,” he said.
There have been growing calls for Mr Downey to resign in the wake of the remuneration controversy.
Mr Smith stepped down from his position last week after it emerged he was paid a total of almost €1m between 2013 and 2014.
Mr Smith was paid a total of almost €445,000 in 2014. In 2013, his salary was €535,000.
News: 7
