Kenny cuts Alzheimer’s society ties over sackings

Broadcaster Pat Kenny has cut his ties with the Alzheimer Society of Ireland as a result of a major industrial relations row in which four regional managers have been made redundant.

The row is set to escalate with management at the society refusing to abide by a Labour Court ruling, despite a service level agreement with the HSE, obliging engagement with the State’s labour relations machinery.

Despite having levels of experience of between 11 and 16 years each, the four managers were offered the minimum statutory figure when they were made compulsorily redundant.

The posts were abolished under a restructuring last year after a new CEO, Gerry Martin, formerly an executive with Permanent TSB, was appointed. All four managers say that they were assured they would not be made redundant and advised to apply for the new positions, which were also advertised externally.

Following an interview process last May, all four were told they were unsuccessful in applying for the new roles and would be made redundant.

As they were working in the community and voluntary sector, the four were not entitled to the redundancy payments of four weeks per year worked, as per the Croke Park agreement, and were offered the minimum redundancy.

Following a failure of negotiations, the managers applied to the Labour Court, which issued a ruling on August 13 they should receive “ex-gratia payments of three weeks per year of service in excess of the statutory redundancy already paid”. The society declined to be represented at the court and has failed to make the payments.

Mr Kenny, who knows one of the mangers involved through his late mother who lived with Alzheimer’s, said he told the society he was no longer willing to work as an advocate because of how the matter was handled.

“I heard about it and thought it was unfair. My view is that I was unhappy with the way it had all been handled and I would have felt totally disloyal if I was to support the new management in this regard.

“I had been doing it for a number of years, and in the natural course of these things, my time as an advocate may have been coming to an end, but this issue did accelerate it.”

The refusal of management to engage with the Labour Court is understood to be highly unusual in the sector, particularly as the service level agreement with the HSE explicitly states that the “provider shall fully observe and comply with the provisions of all applicable employment/labour law”.

Last year, the society received €11m of its €19m income from the HSE.

In response to queries, the society’s head of advocacy and public affairs, Tina Leonard, said: “We take seriously the Labour Court’s recommendation and any information in relation to employees is treated in strictest confidence.”