Quinn assistant who said he had 'no work to do' in line for €33k rise and promotion

Idbatterim · 17-01-2014 03:09PM #1

LUKE BYRNE – 17 JANUARY 2014

A PERSONAL assistant to Education Minister Ruairi Quinn, who recently found himself in hot water after revealing he had no work to do, is set for a promotion.

Mr Quinn's assistant, Neil Ward, provoked angry responses after it emerged that he posted a picture to microblogging website Twitter of his empty work email inbox.

Mr Ward, whose salary as an assistant is €47,000 a year, wrote alongside the picture: "Perhaps the best feeling in the world #nothingtodo #Friday".

Now the Irish Independent can reveal that Mr Ward is set for promotion to the position of special adviser to the minister -- a role which carries a salary of about €80,000 a year.

It comes after one of Mr Quinn's two current special advisers, John Walshe, decided to take on a more behind-the-scenes role.

Mr Ward's appointment is expected to be signed off on by the Cabinet "very shortly", according to a source.

His salary will be less than the €87,258 a year that Mr Walshe was earning for the job.

"Neil Ward will be appointed to the position of special adviser to the Minister, subject to Cabinet approval.

"Mr Ward will be paid at the lowest point of the approved pay scales for special advisers," a spokesperson for the Minister said.

Mr Ward faced no sanction following the tweet and a spokesperson for the department said at the time that he had written on the site in a personal capacity.

Staff at the department were reportedly "livid" with his actions and claimed it gave "a false portrayal of the workload for everybody else".

"At a time when everyone is taking a hit, this is disgraceful," a source said.

The department moved to distance itself from the controversial post, saying Mr Ward's "comments do not reflect those of the department".

CONTROVERSY

Mr Ward, a Labour party member, was appointed as a personal secretary to the Minister for Education and Skills in April 2011.

Last September, he was promoted to the position of personal assistant with a salary of about €47,300.

The Twitter controversy emerged as Mr Quinn announced fresh powers to tackle underperforming teachers.

Teachers had to be deemed "unfit to teach" before the Teaching Council could impose sanctions such as removing a member of staff from the teaching register.

But Mr Quinn intends to revise existing guidelines to give the council a menu of options to deal with teachers who are underperforming.

Irish Independent

moderators feel free to move if this is being discussed elsewhere. Came across this article earlier, its actually mind blowing, I know people working their asses off for just over 20,000 a year. Here you have somebody showing up for work, doing SFA else, bragging about it and getting 47,000 for the privilege?

Xios · 17-01-2014 03:13PM

Alright, we're at this again, I'll get my Nepotism banner.

Daqster · 17-01-2014 03:15PM

Not gonna bother reading the OP, can tell what this is about.

"No work to do"?

Irwin was asked countless times to get crosses in for big Niall and he chose to act the fecking eejit by running up the wing thinking he was Gascoigne.

LOSTfan57 · 17-01-2014 03:18PM

Daqster wrote: »

Not gonna bother reading the OP, can tell what this is about.

"No work to do"?

Irwin was asked countless times to get crosses in for big Niall and he chose to act the fecking eejit by running up the wing thinking he was Gascoigne.

Irwin was no eeejit :P

PhoenixParker · 17-01-2014 03:19PM

He had no work to do at 5pm on a Friday afternoon, because he'd got it done.
What exactly is the problem?

Maybe we shouldn't promote people who can efficiently get through their workload?

SEPT 23 1989 · 17-01-2014 03:19PM

As a self employed idiot this makes me mad not at that complete waster but at myself for not taking the easy option years ago and gone to work for the state

stmol32 · 17-01-2014 03:21PM

"Perhaps the best feeling in the world #nothingtodo #Friday" and a picture of his empty inbox.

To me that just means he got all his workload clear for the weekend.
That's what I try to do every week and when I accomplish it then it is a pretty good feeling.

What's the problem exactly?

Cuddlesworth · 17-01-2014 03:23PM

Its Friday. Its half 2. I get paid more then he currently does. I have sweet f all to do. Please feel free to vilify me.

humanji · 17-01-2014 03:24PM

I'm loath to defend anyone in government, but anyone who's worked a 9-5 desk job would agree that the best feeling in the world is managing to clear your workload on a Friday afternoon. Just because he tweeted that doesn't really mean he spent the rest of his day sitting on his hands. Granted, he works for Ruairi Quinn, so it's entirely possible, but we've nothing to say that happened. So the tweet means nothing and is just a mountain being made out of a molehill.

That said, whether he's actually earned a promotion remains to be seen (but being able to get through a workload is generally seen as a good thing).

5starpool · 17-01-2014 03:25PM

People in making a big deal over nothing shocker.

17-01-2014 03:26PM

That's what he gets for blowing all his cash on anglo shares

stmol32 · 17-01-2014 03:28PM

Also, where and when was this "controversy" originally.

I had a search and can't seem to find any article giving out about his original tweet.
Is this a case of the independent trying to stir up a bit of controversy (for the first time ever) or am I being dim?

ArnieSilvia · 17-01-2014 03:29PM

Well, as supervisor in my last job said - don't work hard, work smart. Best advice ever apart from "find job you love you'll never have to work again"

That's what this guy does, he had a great feeling of getting all jobs done, friday, no worries for weekend etc and he shared it. To me it means he is good/efficient in what he's doing if he can manage it all before schedule. Contrary to people with full desk of work and nothing done. Why they are any better?

Don't forget he doesn't set his work responsibilities, it's his boss. If there's no work, well, that's not his problem.

Femme_Fatale · 17-01-2014 03:30PM

All I know is: one tweet rejoicing at a quiet Friday (which never happens in the private sector, ever) = solid proof that he never has any work to do, ever. And it's also sufficient to deem him a waster - I don't need any info regarding his regular workload or his experience/qualifications/competency to know that he shouldn't have gotten that promotion; the tweet says it all!
Had a google of the writer of the piece, Luke Byrne. To my utter disbelief he writes for the Irish Independent.
Ah, the spindo - giving the unquestioning and unthinking what they want.

Although to be fair, a personal assistant to a Minister shouldn't be tweeting in relation to their job ffs. Rightly or wrongly, it rabble-rouses, and it looks damn unprofessional. If I was employing someone and they did that, I'd have words with them.

Idbatterim · 17-01-2014 03:34PM

its obviously speculation on our behalf, whether there is a SFA to do or whether he was just on top of it. Funny, in my job, there is never nothing to be done... Regardless it was an ill advised tweet. Mr Ward a "Labour Party" member, this is probably one person who Kenny genuinely should have aimed the "you look like you could do with a days work" comment at!

anncoates · 17-01-2014 03:35PM

Maybe he had nothing to do that day?

We need a separate forum for moron scapegoating threads.

stmol32 · 17-01-2014 03:35PM

SEPT 23 1989 wrote: »

As a self employed idiot this makes me mad not at that complete waster but at myself for not taking the easy option years ago and gone to work for the state

I don't think it's fair to call self employed people idiots.
SMEs contribute a fair bit to the economy.

Earthhorse · 17-01-2014 03:37PM

Indo Journo With No News to Report In Line to Publish Article Anyway

Idbatterim · 17-01-2014 03:38PM

you must forgive me, I really dont know where the cynicism arises from with our world class government, services and wages :rolleyes: No doubt the guy is worth every red cent... The guy will be on 80,000, for this 3 teachers or nurses etc could be employed, I know which I'd prefer...

Femme_Fatale · 17-01-2014 03:38PM

Idbatterim wrote: »

Funny, in my job, there is never nothing to be done

So what? That's your job. In plenty of other jobs there are sometimes quiet stints.

stmol32 wrote: »

I don't think it's fair to call self employed people idiots.
SMEs contribute a fair bit to the economy.

What he means is, he was an idiot to choose to be self employed rather than work for the state. Seething bitterness in other words.

Pepe LeFrits · 17-01-2014 03:40PM

There's a surprising amount of sanity on show here, OP aside.

Idbatterim · 17-01-2014 03:40PM

Obviously Femme Fatale, you dont care how your taxes are squandered, I do to be honest.

LeBash · 17-01-2014 03:41PM

He had all his work done. 66k raises for all!

Femme_Fatale · 17-01-2014 03:42PM

Idbatterim wrote: »

you must forgive me, I really dont know where the cynicism arises from with our world class government, services and wages :rolleyes:

The cynicism would be towards... the deeming a tweet to be solid proof of him being a waster; the cynicism is also towards the extremely bitter public sector bashers whose anger is purely that they don't work in the public sector. The cynicism is towards people focusing their anger at the government on this one guy - y'know, an easy target; the usual focus of such anger.
I think you do know where the cynicism comes from.

No doubt the guy is worth every red cent

Yeh, maybe he is?

The guy will be on 80,000, for this 3 teachers or nurses etc could be employed, I know which I'd prefer...

Me too, but if he gets paid that, he gets paid that - you'd most happily take it also.

eviltwin · 17-01-2014 03:44PM

What exactly does a 'special assistant' do? Is it mostly an admin job? Regardless of whether he was finished his work or had none to do the salary is excessive.

Idbatterim · 17-01-2014 03:45PM

Me too, but if he gets paid that, he gets paid that - you'd most happily take it also.

The fact that I'm not a Labour party member, I doubt it... I wouldnt even want the job, my point is, you reckon that position was publicly advertised or open to other posters here?

Femme_Fatale · 17-01-2014 03:47PM

Idbatterim wrote: »

The fact that I'm not a Labour party member, I doubt it... I wouldnt even want the job

But you'd happily accept 80k for a job that doesn't seem to warrant such a high salary.

my point is, you reckon that position was publicly advertised or open to other posters here?

I didn't realise that was your point. I don't know whether the job was advertised or not.

SEPT 23 1989 · 17-01-2014 03:48PM

Femme_Fatale wrote: »

Seething bitterness in other words.

Idbatterim · 17-01-2014 03:52PM

But you'd happily accept 80k for a job that doesn't seem to warrant such a high salary.

It would depend of the job and who's paying... There is just such a ridiculous disconnect it seems, between the champagne socialists and those whom they supposedly represent...

pundy · 17-01-2014 03:54PM

ah, good oul' Ireland.

stmol32 · 17-01-2014 05:21PM

Pepe LeFrits wrote: »

There's a surprising amount of sanity on show here, OP aside.

I was thinking the same thing so I had a look at the comments on the Independents site..... ho lee fook.

This is an example:

"I reckon nearly a billion euro can be saved with the elimination of unnecessary "administration" in this country. Evidently, he doesn't have any advice to offer, or Red Ruari is too busy stuffing his face with salmon and champagne to listen."

Quinn assistant who said he had 'no work to do' in line for €33k rise and promotion

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