A new year voucher boost for RTÉ staff
...but still no replacement for Tubridy’s morning slot
RTÉ staff are set to get a second cost-of-living ‘voucher’ as part of a €14million pay deal.
The deal was agreed before the launch of an Oireachtas investigation last summer into financial governance issues at the broadcaster.
The Government has since agreed to bail the broadcaster out to the tune of €56million to keep RTÉ afloat in 2024 while a new TV licence system is developed.
As part of a pay deal agreed in 2022, employees are eligible for a non-taxable ‘voucher’ of €500, €300 or €100 depending on how much they worked throughout last year.
Staff were eligible for another cost-of-living ‘voucher’ worth up to €1,000 for work done in 2022.
The pay deal agreed between RTÉ and the Trade Union Group at the end of 2022 gave staff a 4.5% pay rise in 2023 with another 1.5% increase coming this April.
The deal also included gift cards to help pay keep pace with inflation. The bill for the deal comes to €14million across last year and this year.
‘I’m a little bit of a breath of fresh air’
As Ryan Tubridy settles into his new slot presenting on Virgin Radio in London, RTÉ has yet to announce a permanent replacement for his 9am slot on Radio 1. A spokeswoman for RTÉ said ‘further details on the slot will be announced in due course’.
Comedian Oliver Callan, presenter and designer Brendan Courtney, broadcasters Maura Derrane and Ciara King and DJ Shay Byrne have all filled in on the slot since June.
Callan, 43, was tipped as the permanent replacement however it is understood he is not interested, wanting instead to focus on his entertainment firm which accumulated almost €1.8million in profits last year. Ladbrokes has Courtney at 2/1 to be the permanent replacement.
Courtney told our sister paper The Irish Mail on Sunday that he put himself forward after it was announced Tubridy would not be returning. He said: ‘I did go to the [RTÉ] head of radio and I said, “I want to put my hat in the ring.” I’ve been covering [on the 9am slot] for two years. I think people have gotten to know me and like me. Many times I’ve been told people notice when I do the show because it goes well, and I’m a little bit of a breath of fresh air...’
However, he added: ‘Basically, I was told that lots of other people had also expressed interest.’
Regarding other potential contenders for the role, bookmaker Ladbrokes has Kathryn Thomas at 4/1, Tommy Tiernan at 5/1 and Ms Derrane at 6/1. Other names mentioned include RTÉ Gaelic games correspondent Marty Morrissey, who fills in on the slot on bank holidays.
The station’s director general, Kevin Bakhurst, wrote to staff yesterday to say 2024 is a ‘significant year’ for RTÉ and that a review into two recent voluntary exit programmes, and a probe of Toy Show The Musical are due to be published. Mr Bakhurst said that he is ‘busy working’ on his statement of strategy, which is expected early this year.
From the end of this month, the DG said he will be holding monthly ‘town hall’ meetings with staff alongside members of his leadership team to give updates on important developments.