IMO leadership to propose ballot on review into past running of organisation

The governing council of the

Irish Medical Organisation

(IMO) is to propose a ballot of members to determine if

they want to press ahead with a planned investigation into how the organisation was run over recent years.

The proposed inquiry would include how the former chief executive ended up with a potential retirement package of more than €20 million.

A retrospective review of the running of the doctors’ trade union was deferred by its council last October amid fears it could prove very costly and there might be legal difficulties reporting its findings.

The investigation had initially been mandated by an egm of members earlier in 2013, shortly after it emerged that former chief executive George McNeice had left the organisation with a package worth some €9.7 million.

The planned investigation was also expected to examine financial and governance arrangements, third-party payments and expenses, as well as lavish spending within the organisation, including the chartering of private planes.

Motion
At the annual conference of the IMO, which is to start on Thursday, the IMO's council will propose a motion that the issue of the retrospective review should now be left to the members to decide.

The motion states: “Council of the Irish Medical Organisation has sought tenders for a retrospective review of matters in the IMO, the terms of reference for such a review being adopted at an egm in March 2013. Council deferred the appointment of a firm to undertake the review given the serious financial and legal implications of such an exercise for the organisation and undertook to put these matters to the wider membership.

"Council propose that the matter of appointing a firm and proceeding with the retrospective review be determined through a ballot of the IMO membership whereby members will be given a summary of the issues involved and asked to vote either for or against appointing a firm to conduct the retrospective review."

Without delay
However, there is also a motion from the IMO's Sligo-Leitrim GP branch scheduled for debate which calls for the retrospective review to proceed without delay.

A separate motion from the IMO’s North East GP branch calls for the organisation to put in place a formal review of the pension arrangements of the former chief executive as decided at the egm last year.

Under his contract Mr McNeice could have received an overall package of close to €25 million, but this was reduced following negotiations.

The IMO had said its retrospective review would examine all matters connected with the employment contract, payments and pension entitlements for Mr McNeice in respect of any role held by him within the IMO and any of its associated companies.

The IMO had put in place a tender process for the review. However last October it told members this process had confirmed that a comprehensive independent review could cost €250,000 and perhaps more in potential legal costs.