Amnesty International members vote against cutting director's salary
Members of Amnesty International Ireland have unanimously voted down a motion to reduce the salary of its executive director.
The proposal was put forward by a member, Kieran O' Sullivan, who wanted Colm O'Gorman's salary reduced from €99,000 to €35,000 - in line with the average Amnesty worker.
The organisation is funded by its members and does not receive financial support from the State.
Proud to work for an org where issues such as accountability, spending, salaries are discussed & debated openly. #transparency #leadership
— Colm O'Gorman (@Colmogorman) April 12, 2014
.@AmnestyIreland members elect our board, staff salaries publicly disclosed annually: accountability, transparency, democracy in action.
— Colm O'Gorman (@Colmogorman) April 12, 2014
Speaking after the vote, Kieran O' Sullivan said he was disappointed by the outcome.
"People felt I was attacking Colm O'Gorman, which wasn't the case," he said.
"I was just basically making a point about the salary itself, not Colm O'Gorman, who is a very good director of Amnesty International.
"And the other one was people felt that they wouldn't be able to attract a good-calibre person to the role with that salary.
"That I disagree with, on the grounds that people are measured by their deeds not necessarily by their remuneration. The calibre of a person is not just how much they are paid."
