St. John's Hospital in Pay Dispute Over CEO's Salary Increase
St John's Hospital has found itself in a pay dispute with the Health Service Executive (HSE) over the salary of its chief executive, Emer Martin. The board increased her salary to the H3 hospital scale in 2023, breaching consolidated public pay scales.
The decision to raise Emer Martin's salary was made in December 2023 by the hospital's board, chaired by Bishop Brendan Leahy. However, the HSE only became aware of the issue in March 2024. The HSE considers St John's Hospital to be H2, with chief executives earning €99,829-€106,866, significantly lower than the new H3 band of €119,571-€140,747.
Bishop Leahy defended the decision, stating that Martin's new salary is still below the average for CEO posts in the HSE and far below private sector levels. Nevertheless, the HSE's chief people officer has warned that the hospital is in breach of its service level agreement and public pay policy. Failure to correct this could place both the board and the employee at risk, potentially impacting pension entitlements. The HSE has urged the hospital to implement the correct pay and conditions without delay.
St John's Hospital initially sought approval for the salary increase through a business case, but it was not approved by the HSE. The hospital must now either reduce Martin's salary or face potential consequences, as the HSE expects full compliance with the correct pay and terms.
