Sunday Independent - 17 December 2023

FAI is still making the same mistakes: Hill's idea of staff relations is at odds with reality

The FAI's payments to CEO Jonathan Hill epitomised a familiar form of modern entitlement. Yet again, someone already paid more than enough got to plunge their snout further into the trough.

The Ryan Tubridy deal that almost capsized RTÉ was a classic example. The sums are smaller in Hill's case but the mentality, that fat cats can never have enough cream, is the same.

Former FAI chairman Roy Barrett told last weekend's AGM that he made the extra payment to "incentivise the executive." Seriously? Hill earns €258,000 per annum. Shouldn't that be sufficient incentive for him?

FAI administrative staff, meanwhile, are supposed to stay incentivised on an average wage of €32,000 a year. The figure for development staff is €40,000. Comments that the Hill payment doesn't matter because"€12,000 isn't that much money" is an insult to people for whom it's several months wages.

Hill claims he has a good relationship with Siptu, who represent many of those workers. But Siptu Services Division Organiser Teresa Hannick doesn't agree: "We would like to clarify that relations in terms of dealing with management have broken down to such a degree that the employees are bringing management to the Workplace Relations Commission. Both parties have agreed to attend."

Hannick insists Hill misled Wednesday's Dáil Committee hearing by describing their members as merely, "a small cohort," within the organisation. She says Siptu has, "a sizeable membership within the FAI."

Hill has caused, "extreme annoyance" by failing to recognise the union for collective bargaining purposes. "The staff are continuously told 'we are one' but this is far from the truth," laments Hannick.

What also rankles is the double standard operated as regards pay. While the CEO's pay is benchmarked against the public sector, the FAI refused to do the same for staff. The result is that while Hill's pay has risen by 22 per cent in the last years, some employee's with over 10 years experience have seen their pay rise by just three per cent compared to 2011 figures.

This is a poor reward for people who agreed to pay cuts so the Association could stay afloat during the Delaney era. It's a classic example of the modern trend where those at the top are afforded every consideration, but those lower down must like it or lump it. It's Class War.

Four years ago, Siptu asked for a worker director position to be made available on the board. The request, which still stands, was turned down. The workers apparently aren't qualified to deal with the really important issues.

Corporate Ireland's values were writ large in the Hill payment saga. Barrett implied that he didn't tell the FAI board about the payments in case media leaks led to the public finding out. That's a strange attitude for an organisation in receipt of public money.

Sunday Independent - 3 December 2023

Icons of hope have much more to offer: McGregor's brand of Irishness is fuelled by hate

Much condescending rubbish was written about the authentically proletarian nature of McGregor's behaviour by those apparently convinced that working class life consists solely of telling people to f**k off and punching them in the mouth.

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Some Irish people would like to disown McGregor, but to a certain extent he both embodies and magnifies the worst elements of the national character. Take his declaration to Mayweather that he didn't need to be told about racism because, "My people have been oppressed our entire existence. And still very much are."

This particular trope proved popular with the right-wing Yanks who during the Black Lives Matters protests never tired of saying that African Americans had nothing to complain about because Irish people had it just as bad. The same belief, that Irish history is so uniquely harrowing it's made us experts in suffering, is common here too.

In reality we enjoyed a much less terrible 20th century than most European nations by dint of avoiding World War II. But much of the commentary on the immigration issue suggests we still feel so sorry for ourselves there's not much sympathy left for anyone else.

A man who says he loves his home city shouldn't want to see it in flames.

The riot was greeted with barely concealed glee by people who oppose curbs on hate speech yet seem fine with the harassment of library staff by homophobic cranks, use women's sport as a vehicle for attacking trans people and hint that climate change doesn't exist. They highlight crimes by immigrants while ignoring crimes against them, admire Trump and Musk, never stop banging on about Wokeness and will have got a kick out of Russia banning the gay rights movement. When called out, they affect indignation like footballers rolling on the ground feigning injury.

There are those too who, while disapproving of the riot, will be happy if it results in the Government adopting a draconian immigration policy. By showing just how ugly this stuff is when you strip away the veneer of respectability, McGregor might actually have done Ireland a favour.

Well done champ.