{"id":146302,"date":"2025-10-26T14:09:10","date_gmt":"2025-10-26T14:09:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/146302\/"},"modified":"2025-10-26T14:09:10","modified_gmt":"2025-10-26T14:09:10","slug":"rte-expects-to-shed-100-staff-to-meet-rescue-plan","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/146302\/","title":{"rendered":"RT\u00c9 \u2018expects\u2019 to shed 100 staff to meet rescue plan"},"content":{"rendered":"

RT\u00c9 insists it still \u2018expects\u2019 to shed 100 employees from its workforce this year despite insiders reporting the cashstrapped State broadcaster has \u2018struggled to date to get the numbers\u2019 for its Voluntary Exit Programme (VEP). <\/p>\n

The first batch of employees are scheduled to leave the organisation under the scheme next Friday, October 31. But five days out, RT\u00c9<\/a> is still refusing to say how many will actually go under this round of the scheme. <\/p>\n

The broadcaster<\/a> received 325 \u2018expressions of interest\u2019 for the much-touted VEP scheme when it was finally launched earlier this year. But translating that number into people actually willing to give up their jobs has been \u2018tricky\u2019, according to one insider. <\/p>\n

\"DUBLIN,RT\u00c9 insists it still \u2018expects\u2019 to shed 100 employees from its workforce this year despite insiders reporting the cashstrapped State broadcaster has \u2018struggled to date to get the numbers\u2019 for its Voluntary Exit Programme (VEP). Pic: Stringer\/Anadolu via Getty Images<\/p>\n

The RT\u00c9 <\/a>source told Extra.ie<\/strong>: \u2018The question people needed to ask themselves was, \u201cWill I be better off financially by taking this package?\u201d And I think for a lot of people, particularly those say in their late 40s or early to mid-50s, the answer was no.\u2019 <\/p>\n

Another station source added: \u2018They [RT\u00c9 management] have really struggled to date to get the numbers and they\u2019re not there yet. <\/p>\n

\u2018It\u2019s partly that the deal isn\u2019t that generous but also that when people look at it and the taxation etc that\u2019s involved, they\u2019ve thought: \u201cThis is very risky.\u201d <\/p>\n

\"16\/11\/2023The first batch of employees are scheduled to leave the organisation under the scheme next Friday, October 31. But five days out, RT\u00c9 is still refusing to say how many will actually go under this round of the scheme. Pic: Colin Keegan, Collins Dublin<\/p>\n

\u2018Some are worried about the job market, which has worsened, and others are worried about a possible bar on them working for independents making stuff for RT\u00c9 in the future.\u2019 <\/p>\n

However, an RT\u00c9 spokesman this weekend clarified that those leaving the broadcaster \u2018are free to pursue other career opportunities, including working for independent production companies in Ireland, or elsewhere\u2019. <\/p>\n

Another source said there are also \u2018lots of people who would take the deal quickly but haven\u2019t been offered it. The way it\u2019s being interpreted is so narrow because of the s*** that happened before [when some departing employees received large payouts and their positions were never made redundant as required by law] means they are supervised by accountants and lawyers and the Department of the Arts and Media.\u2019 <\/p>\n

The source also claimed there is a \u2018lot of frustration\u2019 that some departments will bear the brunt of the cuts. <\/p>\n

\u2018Some departments are being denuded of people while news and current affairs appears to be getting away scot-free,\u2019 they added. <\/p>\n

\u2018In fact, some people were making their decisions this week on redundancy while news and current affairs were interviewing people for new jobs. That jarred with lots of people.\u2019 <\/p>\n

Under the package, RT\u00c9 staff with a minimum of at least two years\u2019 service are being offered up to six weeks of pay per year of service as part of the scheme package designed to slash costs. Payments will be capped at \u20ac300,000. <\/p>\n

RT\u00c9\u2019s annual report for 2023 shows the national broadcaster employed 1,836 people, of which 204 were part-time or classed as casual workers. <\/p>\n

In response to queries, an RT\u00c9 spokesman said: \u2018The VEP process is ongoing as a number of applications are still being reviewed as part of a complex and rigorous review of applications. The first group of those whose applications were accepted will leave RT\u00c9 next week, on Friday 31st of October, with others to leave on 30th November and 31st December. Those leaving RT\u00c9 under the 2025 VEP are not being made redundant but are leaving RT\u00c9 voluntarily. <\/p>\n

\u2018RT\u00c9 expects around 100 people to leave the organisation this year.\u2019 The spokesman added RT\u00c9 \u2018will not be providing updates on the numbers leaving the organisation as part of the VEP while the process is ongoing.\u2019 <\/p>\n

All applications for the scheme have gone through a five-stage review process with final decisions on all applications being made by RT\u00c9\u2019s \u2018leadership team\u2019, with final oversight by the Board\u2019s Remuneration and Management Committee. <\/p>\n

RT\u00c9 said applications will be approved only where a robust business case is made, and the role can be suppressed or equivalent savings can be made by suppressing an alternative post and\/or redeploying an employee into that role. Communications on final decisions began on September 1. A steering group, which includes representatives of McCann Fitzgerald Solicitors, is overseeing the scheme.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"RT\u00c9 insists it still \u2018expects\u2019 to shed 100 employees from its workforce this year despite insiders reporting the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":146303,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[265],"tags":[18,117,19,17,128],"class_list":{"0":"post-146302","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-tv","8":"tag-eire","9":"tag-entertainment","10":"tag-ie","11":"tag-ireland","12":"tag-tv"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@ie\/115440868992784733","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/146302","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=146302"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/146302\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/146303"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=146302"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=146302"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=146302"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}