Tubridy payments: 'Dismayed' RTÉ union members call on management to give answer 

Members are “dismayed” at the failure of the Executive Board to address the grave concerns of staff and they have called for people to be held to account for the scandal. Picture: PA

Angry RTÉ union members have called on management to answer questions and face media interviews over secret payments made to Ryan Tubridy.

On Thursday, RTÉ admitted paying Mr Tubridy €345,000 more than what it stated publicly it was paying him.

Union members are “dismayed” at the failure of the Executive Board to address the grave concerns of staff and they have called for people to be held to account for the scandal.

“RTÉ should be a model of best practice in regard to employment, corporate governance, industrial relations and public procurement. The concept of secret third-party contracts and special arrangements is incompatible with the concept of public service broadcasting,” a statement from RTÉ’s branch of the National Union of Journalists (NUJ) said.

The NUJ is now calling for the RTÉ Executive Board to make themselves available to RTÉ programmes and other media “to address the very many questions that need answering”.

“We want to know who signed off on these secret payments and who knew about them.

“We want those responsible to be held to account.” 

NUJ Dublin Broadcasting Branch chair Emma O'Kelly, who chaired an emergency NUJ meeting to discuss the scandal, said that the meeting was the largest held in recent memory at the broadcaster. Members spoke of how devastated, ashamed, betrayed and angered they are.

"Our members have worked extremely hard to earn and maintain the trust of the Irish public. That trust is something we value and respect hugely,” Ms O'Kelly said.

“They are devastated to see the hard-earned goodwill of the public undermined as a result of this scandal. We will continue to do our jobs to the best of our ability, and that includes holding RTÉ to the same standards that the public expects of any publicly funded body. We demand that our viewers and listeners are treated with respect, and we want that respect extended also to staff at RTÉ."

Culture of secrecy

NUJ members said that they welcomed the new announcement of an independent enquiry but called for its scope to be broadened to include wider issues relating to remuneration, including pensions and perks.

The NUJ also called for an end to what members see as a culture of secrecy surrounding pay, pensions and perks at the organisation.

A motion passed unanimously saying that NUJ members in RTÉ “remain committed to the core principles of public service broadcasting and to the highest standards of ethical journalism.” 

“The revelations of undisclosed payments to Ryan Tubridy and the secretive arrangement with a third party threaten to undermine the trust which is the cornerstone of our relationship with the Irish people,” the motion said.

Union members called for an independent examination of RTÉ’s use of third-party agents acting on behalf of a select group and the appropriateness of such relationships in a public broadcasting organisation.

Earlier today, Ms O Kelly told RTÉ news that lower paid journalists and researchers are "slogging away behind the scenes" to make "people like Ryan Tubridy look good."

"Members feel completely betrayed by RTÉ, many feel that they have lost any trust that they might have had in RTÉ's top brass," she said.