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IFA president Joe Healy will be paid €120,000 per year, it was revealed on Wednesday. It represents a 20% pay cut from Eddie Downey’s €147,000.
The issue of presidential pay proved almost as contentious as that of general secretary Pat Smith last November.
Healy pledged from the outset of his candidacy that he would have no role in determining his pay level, and that he would accept no payment until an independent body had decided what was appropriate.
Director’s fees
In addition to the €147,000, Downey received director’s fees for his roles on Bord Bia and FBD, totalling an additional €41,970.
Healy’s €120,000 incorporates all external payments, diluting the cost to members, and increasing the gap between what he receives compared with his predecessors. Joe Healy is serving on the board of Bord Bia, but has not taken up his seat on the board of FBD to date.
Previous IFA presidents had also received a controversial “fifth payment” on completing their terms of office, effectively a parachute payment of a further year’s pay.
This payment, which caused a lot of anger among members when it emerged, has been scrapped.
Healy, along with fellow candidates Henry Burns and Flor McCarthy, openly opposed the fifth payment during the election hustings.
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Salaries at the very top of the IFA cut sharply
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