RTÉ clear to carry out voluntary redundancy plan to cut costs
As part of its five-year strategy, RTÉ had said the redundancies would mean 'reduced overheads on a smaller physical footprint' in its Donnybrook campus. File Picture: Colin Keegan/Collins Dublin
The Government has given the green light to RTÉ to press ahead with its voluntary redundancy plan aimed at cutting costs at the broadcaster.
In an email to staff on Thursday, RTÉ director general Kevin Bakhurst said the redundancy programme would be launched “in full as soon as we are in a position to do so”, and that this is a key milestone as it aims to implement its new five-year strategy.
As part of this strategy published last year, RTÉ said it wanted to reduce staff numbers by up to 400 with the initial phase seeing it aim to secure 40 redundancies.
While this strategy said it aimed at starting this redundancy programme in 2024, approval from the Government was not forthcoming until now — despite being proposed by RTÉ last April.
In November, Mr Bakhurst described the lack of government approval to proceed as “incredibly frustrating” in a message to staff.
In an update to staff on Thursday, the director general said full details of the redundancy programme would be shared in the coming days.
“I can confirm that the approved [programme] relates to 2025, so that those whose applications are accepted within the terms of the scheme will leave the organisation this year,” he said.
“I would also like to confirm that members of the RTÉ Leadership Team are not eligible to apply for the [programme].”
As part of its five-year strategy, RTÉ had said the redundancies would “realise savings in our people costs” and would mean “reduced overheads on a smaller physical footprint” in its Donnybrook campus.
Its most recent annual report again highlighted the financial problems facing RTÉ, particularly in the wake of the Ryan Tubridy payments scandal, as it recorded a net deficit of €9.1m in 2023.
Its chair, Terence O’Rourke, said 2023 was a “difficult and damaging year for RTÉ” and was an “all-time low for the organisation”.
“We know we need to rebuild the needed trust, and we will,” he said.
The future of funding of RTÉ was an important decision facing the Government prior to the general election.
In July, Cabinet signed off on a decision to provide €725m in funding for RTÉ over the next three years.
The decision to provide a mix between direct exchequer funding and the existing TV licence fee was approved after months of wrangling between ministers on how the broadcaster should be funded.
While then media minister Catherine Martin had previously expressed a preference for direct exchequer funding for RTÉ, and said a hybrid funding model could be the “worst of both worlds”, she said the decision from Government provided certainty for the broadcaster.
