Resign: Angry charity staff want Pepper gone
Incensed workers told ‘cut services’ while managers got massive top-ups
PRESSURE was mounting this week on charity bosses at St John of God after internal staff meetings heard calls from angry employees for the resignation of CEO John Pepper.
The meetings heard from a succession of staff members incensed at the €1.6m in secret top-ups received by Mr Pepper and other managers.
And sources who were present at the meeting told the Mail on Sunday that the internal anger was mirrored outside the organisation – leading to a downturn in fundraising for the nationwide charity.
The employee, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said that close to 100 staff attended the meetings that took place earlier this week in the St John of God Cluain Mhuire facility in Blackrock and the Lucena Clinic in Rathgar. Run by regional director of mental health services Shane Hill, the open information-share meetings are a regular occurrence at the clinics.
But this week saw staff emotions spill over – amid continuing revelations involving Mr Pepper’s management of the charity.
One senior staff member present told the MoS: ‘Staff wanted John Pepper to resign; it was said at the meeting.
‘Our organisation is all about healthcare and compassion, respect, justice, equality – all of those. That’s the ethos of the Order.’
The source said staff felt these qualities were not being practised by top management.
‘They are reading this stuff on their holidays and they are filled with shame and horror at what’s going on up at the very top.’
The employee – who came forward after Mr Hill issued written orders for those present not to speak to the media about what was said at the meetings – said workers were appalled at being made to cut services while managers were getting secret payment top-ups.
‘People talked of years and years of pressure being put on the staff to make savings. And all the time you’re told – “Don’t tell anybody – you’re not to talk about this outside this meeting.”’
The insider also spoke of how continuing controversy had affected donations.
‘The headquarters is besieged by emails and calls from angry parents and from donors.’ The anger comes amid renewed calls from Impact union representatives for the Government to stamp out ‘unjustified and irregular payments’ to senior managers at charities. A HSE audit of payments at the St John of God group is continuing this week in the wake of the secret top-up revelations – first exposed by the MoS almost a month ago. And this week, HSE correspondence with the charity, released through the Dáil’s Public Accounts Committee, revealed that Mr Pepper received by far the largest amount – €649,371 – of the 14 managers who got secret topups.
Last night the MoS asked Mr Pepper, through a spokesman, what he wished to say in response to those who felt he should resign.
He chose not to comment.