A NUMBER of county councils yesterday confirmed that top staff were entitled to an average annual leave well in excess of those enjoyed by managing directors in the private sector.
It was revealed some county managers were entitled to take up to two months of holidays a year, with Longford county manager Tim Caffrey entitled to 42 days.
Kerry County Council confirmed that its senior staff enjoy leave of 40 days, comprising 37 days annual leave and a further three privilege days.
Senior staff at Monaghan County Council are entitled to 39 days off, made up of 37 days annual leave and two privilege days.
Those in senior jobs in South Tipperary get 36 days of annual leave and three privilege days while their counterparts in Leitrim get one less privilege day.
In Clare and Carlow, senior council staff have 35 days annual leave, with Clare staff getting two extra privilege days and Carlow staff just one, placing them nearer the bottom of the holiday leave league table at 36 days.
The figures do not take into account Ireland’s nine public holidays and far exceed the national minimum holiday entitlement of 20 days.
A recent survey of over 300 firms by private industry representatives Ibec found the average holidays taken by chief executives in Irish firms was 25 days a year.
“Twenty-five would be the maximum for managing directors and other senior positions. There might be an exception here or there, but nearly all would be 25 or below,” said Brendan McGinty, Ibec’s director of industrial relations. “That would include the basic entitlement of 20 days and a few extra service days.”
While the national body of county councils refused to comment, a number of local councils emphasised that although the figures publicly quoted represented the days a county manager is entitled to, it did not automatically follow they took that amount.
The number of days each county manager is entitled to is set individually by county councils. The current arrangements have developed over many years where councils came to unique agreements on what days could be taken.
Religious days in particular appear to have been a source of extra leave entitlements, with many days being “bought out” and added to general days allowed at any time during the year.
Peter Nolan – general secretary for local government in trade union Impact – said a tiny fraction of council staff got leave entitlements similar to county managers.
“I definitely believe the gap between the senior levels and those people providing operational services is way too great,” he said on RTÉ Radio. “Our union has committed to the standardisation of leave across the sector and across the public service.”
Mr Nolan said, in his opinion, by the year-end leave enjoyed by top council staff would not be as much due to greater efficiencies being sought from all public bodies.