Staff working at the headquarters of the Irish Red Cross have called for an independent inquiry into the management of the society. Individual members of staff spoke yesterday of an "unprofessional atmosphere" at the society's headquarters in Dublin.
Staff members also complained that management was too slow to release funds raised for emergency situations.
Nine of the society's 14 permanent staff have joined their protest. They said "the final straw" which led them to speak out was the dismissal last month of the organisation's financial controller, Mr Louis White, whom they described as "a very upright and honest and extremely loyal individual".
The SIPTU shop steward at the society, Ms Mary Cullivan, said the "catalyst" for the protest had been "the summary dismissal of the financial controller on what we considered a trivial issue.
"We have had concerns for several years about the conduct of the executive committee. We did our best individually and collectively to deal with those concerns without success."
The Red Cross declined to comment on Mr White's case, which is being pursued through legal channels. A spokesman added it would be "inappropriate and premature" to reply to the specific allegations made by staff before the completion of the society's strategic review of operations.
He said this review was being carried out by an outside consultant who was independent from the charity and had already sought the views of staff. Possible legislative changes were being considered which will be discussed with relevant government departments, he added.
Responding to the claim that management was too slow to release money for emergencies, the spokesman said: "Everyone agrees we need to streamline operations to get funds to the people who need it most as quickly as possible."
The society's secretary general, Mr Paul Lynch, said the review had been a priority of the executive committee since he was appointed head of the body seven months ago. Once the plans had been developed, "we will work in close co-operation with our volunteers and staff to implement them as quickly and effectively as possible", he said.
However, staff said they were refused representation on the strategic review committee, which they felt focused on interviewing staff members rather than reviewing the society's management structure. They have also called for a review of the 1939 Act which set up the society and the statutory rules and orders under which it works.
Ms Cullivan said the rules were "completely out of date" and the society's structure had fallen out of line with International Red Cross norms.
In a statement last night, staff in SIPTU said they had sought independent experts from the international body to be co-opted on to the review committee but the request had been refused. The statement also said staff had read about the proposed review in an internal bulletin issued in May 1997 and had immediately sought representation on the committee.
"SIPTU staff felt the review should begin at the top using the Guidelines for Governance of Red Cross Societies drawn up by Red Cross headquarters in Geneva," the statement read. These international guidelines highlighted the importance of reviewing management structures "to include assessments of performance of committees and committee members".
The guidelines also drew attention to the conflict and confusion caused by executives holding dual roles within member societies.
By law, the society's president is the President of Ireland. The current chairman - the fourth to be appointed in eight years - is Mr Richie Ryan, a former Fine Gael minister for finance. The society receives a yearly grant from the Department of Defence primarily to cover salaries and its annual subscription of about £100,000 to the International Committee of the Red Cross in Geneva. Grant aid from the State will be £590,000 in 2000, an increase of £15,000 on this year. An additional £3 million in public donations was raised by the society this year for Kosovo and Turkey appeals. The body's accounts are independently audited and made available to the Comptroller and Auditor General, who last requested them in 1998.
The Department yesterday rejected the call for a Government inquiry. A spokesman said that neither the Minister for Defence, Mr Smith, nor the Department were involved in running the charity. "It is a matter entirely for the central council, the society's governing body."
Mr Gerard Moyne, a life member and former area secretary of the Donegal Red Cross, said the society was "a wonderful organisation with so much to offer" which had "lost its way".
The dispute is the latest in a string of recent industrial relations problems. In February 1998, Mr Martin Good resigned as secretary-general following a series of internal disagreements. Among other senior staff to leave were the public relations officer, youth officer and fund-raising officer.
The Labour Court was told earlier this year of allegations of a sustained campaign of bullying and harassment against a member of staff.
The society has incurred legal costs of more than £100,000 in an unsuccessful attempt to defend its decision in the courts to expel one central council member, Mr Jim Walsh, for talking to The Irish Times in 1993.