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Sam Boal/RollingNews.ie

National Museum 'working hard to fix prolonged, systemic bullying of staff'

In an unusual event, senators on the committee said that they were uncomfortable with their Chair’s line of questioning.

A COMPANY HIRED to deal with work culture problems at the National Museum of Ireland (NMI) wrote to the government to express their shock at the scale of bullying in 2013, a Dáil committee has heard.

Peadar Tóibín, chair of the Joint Committee on Arts, Heritage, Regional, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs, read the contents of the letter out today:

In our relatively long experience of providing staff care and employee assistance programmes to many different types of organisations, we have never previously encountered, what from our perspective appears to be, a prolonged, systemic, institutionalised bullying of the general staff by senior members of the administrative staff.

He said that trade unions representing members had said that they had heard similar reports.

A report from 2013 found that some 88% of workers in the museum reported poor moral, he said.

A further Work Positive Profile Report carried out in 2016 echoed the previous report.

Here were some of their findings:

NMI Demands Work Positive Profile Work Positive Profile

NMI - Controls Work Positive Profile Work Positive Profile

NMI - Manager Support Work Positive Profile Work Positive Profile

NMI - Peer Support Work Positive Profile Work Positive Profile

There were 96 respondents to the survey. Almost 80% of staff had worked there for at least 5 years, and 49% of the staff were over 46 years of age.

‘Obligation as an employer’

Chairperson Catherine Heaney and director Raghnall Ó Floinn appeared before the committee today to “draw a line under what has been experienced recently”.

90436702_90436702 Chairperson of the National Museum Ireland, Catherine Heaney. Sam Boal / RollingNews.ie Sam Boal / RollingNews.ie / RollingNews.ie

In her opening statement, Heaney said that the NMI had an “absolute obligation as an employer to maintain confidentiality and respect in terms of all our employees past and present”.

This obligation precludes us as an employer from commenting or answering questions in relation to current or ex-employees.

When Tóibín brought up specific examples of problematic behaviour at the NMI, Heaney said that they couldn’t comment without giving away the identity of former and current employers.

Tóibín then asked a question which sparked concerns over his line of questioning:

With regard to the allegations of inappropriate sexual behaviour, has it been the policy of the National Museum to leave those individuals in situ?

Labour Senator Aodhán Ó Riordáin interrupted to say that he was “extremely uncomfortable” with this line of questioning, and that Tóibín seemed to know more than the rest of the committee.

Tóibín: On what basis?

Ó Ríordáin: ”This is the committee to ask the representatives from the National Museum about the current state of play in the museum. The Chairman seems to have a number of very heavily researched questions to fire at these two individuals.

“To be honest, if I was in their position I would refuse point blank to answer because it is quite clear that the Chairman is coming from the position of having knowledge from an individual as to how cases were handled or were not handled. These two individuals are trying to run a national institution, they have a lot on their plate.

“I do not know how well they are paid or even if they are paid to do that job. To be before a committee like this and to field the questions the Chairman is throwing at them, I do not know if I am on my own here, but I am deeply -”

Senator Marie-Louise O’Donnell: Senator Ó Ríordáin is not on his own. We had this massive discussion three or four weeks ago with the Chair. We questioned all of this… It just is that he was not present at that meeting.

90401854_90401854 (1) Peadar Tóibín. Leah Farrell / RollingNews.ie Leah Farrell / RollingNews.ie / RollingNews.ie

Tóibín: ”First, we had a discussion in the past number of weeks on this. Knowledge and research is not a bad thing when one is looking to deal with questions. I take the Senator’s point that it is a difficult line of questioning. It is not a line of questioning that I take any comfort in whatsoever.”

Ó Ríordáin: Is it the proper forum for such questioning?

Marie-Louise O’Donnell: ”That was the question we all had a question about.”

Tóibín: The reason I asked these questions is that it has come to our knowledge that for a long period of time, back to 2011 there has been reports written by psychotherapists and psychiatrists and a large number of internal reports commissioned by the National Museum itself which shows a significant level of unease and difficulties among staff in the National Museum.

“This has happened over a period of at least eight years, that we know about. We have an opportunity to see if we can help fix that issue, to see if we can shine a light on that particular issue to see if we can bring it to the attention of the Department at such a level that the Department will have to deal with it and to give the necessary supports to the Chairman of the Board and the director of the museum to see if we can resolve these issues.

“If it were the case that these were once off reports or once off items, well it would not be my intention to bring it to the committee’s knowledge, but the fact that this has been ongoing for such a long time, it would be wrong to allow this to proceed without a general focus on it.”

The committee then went into private session to discuss the chair’s line of questioning.

90364061_90364061 Sam Boal / RollingNews.ie Sam Boal / RollingNews.ie / RollingNews.ie

Heaney said that HR and IR issues were evident in all businesses, great and small: “and I say this not to excuse HR context but I do think it deserves a context”.

HR issues have cost the museum and the state, both in terms of HR issues and financially, she admitted.

Tóibín said that the costs for reports, legal services, and a firm of psychotherapists’ advice to deal with these issues has cost the State between €1.5 and €1.8 million.

The National Museum of Ireland later responded to this claim:

“We have not received the detail supporting the statement by Deputy Tobin at the Committee meeting today referring to costs in the region of €1.5 million – €1.8 million, or the timeline it refers to, but it does appear that this type of figure would include a number of elements of expenditure not directly related to the matters being discussed at Committee meeting today.”

90436688_90436688 Catherine Heaney speaks to the Clerk of Dáil Éireann Peter Finnigan Ceann Comhairle and Sean Ó Fearghail about the restoration of Leinster House and temporary relocation of Seanad Eireann to the NMI. Sam Boal / RollingNews.ie Sam Boal / RollingNews.ie / RollingNews.ie

A further 7 out of 10 respondents said they felt they required medical help to deal with depression and anxiety, Tóibín said.

Having talked to staff, Tóibín said that many felt they “have shattered lives” following issues in the museum. They said that when they did bring complaints forward, they were urged to redefine them as non-complaints.

Heaney said that although there were issues to be worked out, there were also some positives in that survey.

I want to state that about 93% of staff said they were happy to come to work.  That is what I observed.

“In case a message goes out there that there are not good staff and good attitudes to work in the museum, my experience is that there are. I acknowledge there are problems but we are working incredibly hard to address them.”

Read: Report shows ‘toxic’ culture of bullying at National Museum of Ireland

Read: Department destroyed report on National Museum management, Dáil hears

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20 Comments
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    Mute Declan Noonan
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    Feb 5th 2013, 11:41 AM

    It’s time to go for a drive over Sally Gap and get stuck

    61
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    Mute Gis Bayertz
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    Feb 5th 2013, 10:29 AM

    I hate winter and I hate snow. I want spring – NOW!

    39
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    Mute John John
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    Feb 5th 2013, 11:29 AM

    I bet when anyone reads the above comment they are singing it in their head

    37
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    Mute John John
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    Feb 5th 2013, 11:28 AM

    Oh the weather outside is frightful
    But the fire is so delightful
    And since we’ve no place to go
    Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!

    It doesn’t show signs of stopping
    And I’ve bought some corn for popping
    The lights are turned way down low
    Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!

    When we finally kiss good night
    How I’ll hate going out in the storm!
    But if you’ll really hold me tight
    All the way home I’ll be warm

    The fire is slowly dying
    And, my dear, we’re still goodbying
    But as long as you love me so
    Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!

    30
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Mary Kavanagh
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    Feb 5th 2013, 11:40 AM

    Wish I could give this more than one green thumb. Sadly only 0.01mm snow on the cars on our road this am! :-(

    6
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    Mute _doesnotcompute
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    Feb 5th 2013, 10:13 AM

    Blame Canada.

    29
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    Mute Hugo Sanchez
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    Feb 5th 2013, 10:26 AM

    Hmmmm last photo bit suspect..

    ^ ^ ^ off to google snowflakes

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    Mute Hugo Sanchez
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    Feb 5th 2013, 11:08 AM

    Let Fake Flake-Gate begin!!!

    22
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    Mute Fergal Kelly
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    Feb 5th 2013, 10:16 AM

    I always think snow looks different here. It’s wetter or something like it’s not real snow haha

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    Mute karla carroll
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    Feb 5th 2013, 10:18 AM

    That would be sleet.

    81
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    Mute Fergal Kelly
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    Feb 5th 2013, 10:20 AM

    No because it’s on the ground sticking like just not properly!

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    Mute Aaron Broughill
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    Feb 5th 2013, 10:26 AM

    No because when it snows here the temperature is very rarely below zero, in the likes of Canada wheb it snows the temp is well below zero so the snow freezes

    37
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    Mute Mal
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    Feb 5th 2013, 1:51 PM

    My wife over here in Sweden calls that wet snow! generally when we get snow here the temperature is at least around -3 degrees. The snow blows around like sand a lot of the time, it’s cold enough that it doesn’t melt on your hands, or clothes, or when the sun is out.
    It’s very different to what I knew as snow at home.
    A couple of weeks ago we had -15 degrees and sunny, it’s awesome! as much fun as warm weather methinks!
    Here’s a picture of a lake we walk across:

    https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-_CqLUcAz2sM/URENqUB7-wI/AAAAAAAACnQ/kOzm9FXBODU/s772/20130120_130317.jpg

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    Mute Tokidoll
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    Feb 5th 2013, 11:03 AM

    I’m delighted to see my picture in there :-) It was a magical sight and a wonderful surprise to wake up to this morning.

    15
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    Mute Sloan Bonnar
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    Feb 5th 2013, 12:35 PM

    Best send everyone home from work early, before the buses are taken off the roads early!!!!!

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    Mute Bláthnaid Belladonna
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    Feb 5th 2013, 10:21 AM

    Can people send in more

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    Mute Denise Friary
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    Feb 5th 2013, 10:48 AM

    Another week we will be into the mild weather.

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    Mute Redcaff
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    Feb 5th 2013, 11:21 AM

    You mean ‘Summer’.

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    Mute Aileen Carroll
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    Feb 6th 2013, 8:08 AM

    No spring comes first

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    Mute Lee Jones
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    Feb 5th 2013, 12:38 PM

    bah not a screed in kinsealy feck it

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    Mute Bláthnaid Belladonna
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    Feb 5th 2013, 10:22 AM

    I got the answer. Just didn’t c it the first time.

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    Mute Kerry Quinn
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    Mar 26th 2013, 10:49 PM

    Come on now! Alittle bit of snow. Kick back and have a pint.

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    Mute Kerry Quinn
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    Mar 26th 2013, 10:40 PM

    Come on now! A little bit of snow. Kick back and have a pint with friends.

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