Worker Complains He’s Paid £105,000 a Year to Eat Sandwiches and Read the Paper

A finance manager from Ireland’s national railway network who turned whistleblower has said his work duties have been “hacked down to nothing” – meaning his main tasks are to eat lunch and read newspapers, while being paid €121,000 (£105,000; $126,000) a year.

Dermot Alastair Mills was talking at a hearing into his complaint under the Protected Disclosures Act 2014, in which he said that he had been relieved of most of his duties at Irish Rail, according to the Irish Independent. 

Mills told the Workplace Relations Commission: “I’d say if I got something that requires me to do work once in a week I’d be thrilled.”

He claims he has been penalised as a whistleblower after raising concerns about accounting at Irish Rail in 2014.

Irish Rail does not dispute that Mills made a protected disclosure, but says it did not penalise him.

Mills told the Commission that he either works from home or in the office, and when he goes into the office, heads in for 10am. 

“I buy two newspapers, the Times and the Independent, and a sandwich. I go into my cubicle, I turn on my computer, I look at emails. There are no emails associated with work, no messages, no communications, no colleague communications.

“I sit and I read the newspaper and I eat my sandwich. Then about 10.30am, if there’s an email which requires an answer, I answer it. If there’s work associated with it, I do that work.”

Mills’ representative, industrial relations consultant and former Irish Rail HR chief John Keenan, asked: “You’re paid €121,000 for doing nothing?”

“Yes – when I say to do nothing, I mean to not use my skills,” Mills replied.

He had been managing a debt portfolio worth €8 million when he said he observed “certain issues with debtors”. He added “I tried to raise red flags all over the place.” 

When he made a report outlining his concerns nine years ago, both to the Irish Rail chief as well as a protected disclosure to the Transport Minister, he claimed he was “stopped” from taking responsibility for a number of tasks including preparing reports for the government, and that he was been excluded from company meetings and training opportunities. 

Tom Mallon, counsel for Irish Rail, suggested Mills was “looking around for some way to explain your position without looking at yourself.”

The case is expected to have its next hearing before February.