HIV Ireland quit HSE programme due to ‘slagging’ and claims of corruption, WRC told

HIV Ireland pulled out of the launch of the HSE’s You, Me and HIV programme last year because of online “slagging” and claims by the campaign’s ambassadors that there was “corruption” at the charity, its chief executive has said.Stephen O’Hare was under cross-examination on Monday at the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC), where the charity is defending a complaint of whistleblower penalisation brought by veteran manager Erin Nugent. Nugent, who has worked at the charity since 1995, is facing disciplinary action, currently on hold, after being accused of bullying and harassment toward colleagues and insubordination towards O’Hare. Her trade union, Fórsa, says this is to “punish” her for voicing concerns about HIV Ireland’s financial governance, and alleged discontent with the charity among the community of people living with HIV. READ MOREIn addition to the disciplinary action, which the charity said was on “pause” pending the outcome of Nugent’s Protected Disclosures Act 2014 complaint, she maintains she has been “disappeared” as the public face of HIV Ireland. Counsel for the charity Aoife McMahon said Nugent was only prevented from attending one related event: the launch of a HSE programme to combat stigma and misinformation about HIV, in January 2025 called You, Me and HIV. The organisation disputes Nugent’s claim that she has been “disappeared” as the public face of HIV Ireland at conferences and in the press as penalisation for whistleblowing. O’Hare’s evidence was that following World Aids Day on December 1st, 2024, the charity was subject to “commentary” from a number of members of the public and activists.“They were alleging corruption, misappropriation of funds, alleging fraud at the organisation, and the people doing that were the people who were engaged by the HSE in their own publicity campaign, You, Me and HIV,” O’Hare said. The comments were “very nasty” and “bordering on personally offensive”, he said. HIV Ireland staff, including Nugent, were due to participate in a launch event for the HSE campaign on January 15th, 2025, he said. O’Hare decided HIV Ireland would not participate in the HSE campaign in view of the fact its ambassadors were “openly slagging” his staff and organisation, he said. He said he told the HSE the day before the launch: “Your ambassadors for your campaign are currently on social media saying defamatory things about HIV Ireland; they shouldn’t be doing that.” The HSE was “unhappy” with HIV Ireland’s stance, he added. O’Hare’s evidence was that in late 2024, other HIV Ireland staff had come to him about interactions they had with Nugent where financial matters were discussed. He had earlier in the year urged the charity’s board to take disciplinary action against Nugent, writing in a letter that he believed her to be engaged in “borderline insubordination” and “bullying behaviour”, the tribunal heard. Cross-examining O’Hare, Louise O’Hara of Fórsa, for Nugent, said: “You essentially presided over the decline of relations and functions and used it to bring disciplinary action against a whistleblower… you massively overstepped to punish Dr Nugent.” “No, none of what you said there is correct,” the chief executive said. Adjudication officer Breiffni O’Neill has concluded hearings on the case and told the parties he intends to issue his decision in January.