News blackout over lavish credit union conference

THE board of the Irish League of Credit Unions (ILCU) has imposed a news blackout on details of which of its members will attend a world credit union conference in Barcelona next week.

Last Thursday, the Irish Examiner submitted a series of question to ILCU asking for the names of the board members who would represent the credit union movement at a four-day conference in the Spanish capital beginning on July 26.

Initially, a member of ILCU’s marketing services department said the questions would be answered, but this decision was subsequently reversed. An external PR company sent a press release to the Irish Examiner by way of reply. It did not answer any of the questions other than to confirm ILCU would be sending a delegation from its board to the conference, “as it has in previous years”.

The Irish Examiner then contacted the conference organisers in Wisconsin, USA, and requested the names and number of Irish delegates who were planning to attend the World Council of Credit Unions Conference (WOCCU).

WOCCU communications manager Mike Muckian originally agreed to supply the information but the Irish Examiner subsequently received an email saying he had “discovered that the information you are asking for is proprietary information”.

“We have a commitment to our members not to share mailing lists or specifics about their activities with WOCCU, and that conference attendance falls into this category,” Mr Muckian said.

However, when the Irish Examiner contacted Mr Muckian to ask why he had changed his mind, he said he had spoken with Kieran McDonnell, another member of ILCU’s marketing services department, and that “Mr McDonell requested that all queries go through him”.

Mr Muckian confirmed this request was made after the Irish Examiner had contacted Mr Muckian seeking information.

“You are not going to get any names or numbers from me,” Mr Muckian said.

ILCU’s external PR company, Keating and Associates, said ILCU had decided not to supply the information because of the “slant” that might be put on it.

ILCU’s 13 board members include Mark Bailey (president), Jimmy Johnstone (vice-president), Rosemary O’Doherty (treasurer), Nick Cashin, Michael Dowd, Gerald du Bois, Pat Fay, John Long, Noel Madden, Brian McCrory, Gerry McGee, John Mullen and Con O’Brien.

Delegates attending the Barcelona conference are offered a choice of three hotels in which to stay, the five-star Hilton Diagonal Mar, and the four-star Barcelona Princess Hotel and the AC Barcelona.

Room prices range from €110 to €304 per night. The conference fee ranges from €701 to €982. At considerable extra expense (c €1,400), delegates have the option of taking part in a pre-conference tour of Lisbon, which kicks off today, or a post-conference tour of Bordeaux.

Next week’s conference takes place against a backdrop of considerable financial difficulties for credit unions, as investments slump. Many are expected to tell members there is no money to pay interest (dividends) on savings this year, and possibly next year.

Next year’s world credit union conference takes place in Las Vegas.