An Independent consultant's report into pay levels and structures at the Foynes Port Company, Co Limerick, has concluded they "appear to be very generous".
The Minister for the Marine, Dr Woods, yesterday released a summary of the report's findings and also announced the appointment of a new chairman of the port board following the controversial resignation of Mr Sean Hanratty last October.
Dr Woods ordered an inquiry into the pay levels and structures to be carried out by Mr Dermot Rochford after the resignation and also directed his Department to find out similar information from all harbour trustees and port companies.
The report said that in comparison with the pay levels applying to similar-sized organisations in the wider public sector, the salary levels applied in Foynes appeared to be very generous. This position had arisen from the trustees' policy of maintaining pay parity with Limerick port, which in turn apparently maintains a pay relativity with the larger ports such as Dublin and Cork. "Within the ports sector, there appears to have been less consideration given to the general pay norms applying in the public sector than would have been desirable," added the report.
The new chairman appointed, Mr Kieran MacSweeney, is IBEC Mid-West regional executive, vice-president and managing director of Cybex Europe Ltd, Shannon.
He replaces Mr Hanratty, who resigned in October as a result of a pay scales controversy which resulted in a vote of no confidence in him as chairman. The consultant's report uncovered a broadly similar picture of pay and conditions in other ports. The remuneration for port company chief executives ranges from almost 30 per cent to 90 per cent higher than those in the general public sector guidelines, said Dr Woods in a statement. There were reports that one executive at Foynes was on a salary scale of £88,000 per annum and another on £59,000 and the report indicated that the pay and pension information in relation to Foynes staff which was quoted in the media was generally correct.
The report added that two decisions which were made by the former trustees, one in 1995 and one in February 1997, regarding special increases for two senior staff appeared to be outside the specific pay policy operated by the trustees.
Dr Woods said that in the light of the consultant's report, he had directed that each port company must have regard to Government or nationally agreed pay guidelines.