The decision by the Labour Party leader, Mr Pat Rabbitte, to lay off two party headquarters staff was endorsed by a top-level party group, it has emerged.
Mr Rabbitte last week told the party's communications and publicity officer, Mr Angus Laverty, and its training officer, Cllr Ciarán Byrne, that they were to be made redundant.
The decision did not require the clearance of Labour's National Executive Council (NEC), Mr Rabbitte said yesterday: "You can't manage a party by committee," he said.
The lay-offs and other structural changes were recommended by a consultant, Mr David Kinnear, who was recruited by Mr Rabbitte in early summer.
His findings were endorsed by a special steering group, which included Mr Rabbitte, former minister of state Mr Emmet Stagg and the party's general secretary, Mr Mike Allen.
The other members of the steering group, which has since stood down, were TDs Ms Mary Upton, Ms Róisín Shortall and Mr Jack Wall, and NEC vice-chairman Mr Henry Haughton.
Discussions on the consultant's report within the Steering Group were, on occasions, "tense", sources said last night. But they said the lay-off plan was specifically approved.
However, a number of NEC members insisted yesterday that redundancies should be approved by the council, and not by the leader.
SIPTU president Mr Jack O'Connor, an NEC member, said: "I would expect that the grounds for this would be very clearly set out and explained. It is the business of the NEC. The administration of the party is the business of the NEC."
On RTÉ Radio 1's News At One programme yesterday, Mr Rabbitte said: "Every organisation has to ensure that it is professional and efficient and capable of supporting the political effort.
"You can't manage a party by committee.
"No party manages by committee. I advised the executive. I kept them advised right through of the consultancy that was going on, and so on."
