Pieta House criticised over salaries of staff
By Maurice Garvey
PIETA House has been criticised for the salaries of it’s top six earners, which combined, are in excess of €500,000 per annum with CEO Elaine Austin being paid a salary of €120,000, up to almost €150,000 with benefits.
Since opening its doors in Lucan in 2006, Pieta house have grown to operate 15 centres and five outreach services across Ireland.
Mark Ward, TD
Mark Ward TD, a prominent mental health activist, who has taken part in fundraisers for Pieta House over the years, said he was shocked to discover the high salaries, coupled with the service running at a loss pre-Covid and set to pay €420,000 in redundancies this year.
The Sinn Féin Deputy raised concerns last November that Fine Gael leader of the Seanad Senator Regina Doherty joined the board of Pieta House.
“Put into context, some front-line therapists only receive a salary of €25,000 per year,” said Deputy Ward.
“I highlighted last year concerns I had with the governance of Pieta House when questions were raised about its finances. Pieta’s 2019 accounts show a deficit of €700,000.
For the price of a coffee, enjoy The Echo in print or with an online subscription and get over 80 local stories every week.
Once you create an account, check your spam folder for our automated emails. Then, you need to purchase a subscription to finish the process.
