RTÉ bogus self-employed workers fear 'quietly disappearing' at the end of their contracts

Sports commentator Brian Carthy (centre) with others protesting against the practice of bogus self-employment at RTÉ outside Leinster House today, as the Media Committee discusses the issue of misclassification of workers’ employment status at the broadcaster. Photo: Sasko Lazarov / © RollingNews.ie

Bogus self-employed workers at RTÉ have described how they feel at risk of “quietly disappearing” from the organisation at the end of their contracts, an Oireachtas committee has heard.

Testimony from those workers — some of whom were in attendance in the public gallery — was read directly into the Dáil record by Media Committee member Brendan Griffin on Wednesday, after the committee declined to invite the bogus self-employed to give their own testimony in person.

Sports commentator Brian Carthy said he had 'asked in the past to be made permanent and pensionable' before he was let go in 2019. Photo: Sasko Lazarov / © RollingNews.ie

Bogus self-employed workers are those who do the same work as a full employee but are classed as self-employed and therefore do not get the same statutory benefits as PAYE workers.

Quoting one worker, Mr Griffin said: “RTÉ is now instructing deliberate reductions in work for many of us, which can limit our ability to pay for legal representation. 

"We are being bullied with no recourse as we have no employee rights and have been let down by our unions,” he continued.

“We are at risk of quietly disappearing from RTÉ at the end of the 12-month contract currently offered with no pension and no redundancy,” Mr Griffin said, quoting the worker.

The same employee referred to working amid a “culture of fear that we could be simply disappeared”.

RTÉ’s education correspondent Emma O’Kelly, representing the National Union of Journalists, said she had been “lucky” to never have to work as a self-employed contractor, but that she had many colleagues who had been in that position.

She spoke of her “shock” upon discovering that a long-term colleague had been working on such a contract.

Another colleague who had given birth to three children while working at RTÉ had never had a direct contract, she said.

“They were colleagues just like us, and they were treated differently,” she said.

Ms O’Kelly described another colleague who contacted her last week to say that after six years they were being let go, with that worker saying: “I’ve given six years of my life and that’s it, I’m gone now.” 

She said that the 40 jobs that RTÉ has planned to cut this year will be “easily” achieved by not renewing contracts. 

Earlier, several bogus self-employed workers both past and present gathered at the Dáil gates to protest their exclusion from the committee, among them former newsreader Angie Mezzetti and radio sports commentator Brian Carthy, who had worked at RTÉ for 40 years up until 2019.

Mr Carthy, who recently was told by the Department of Social Protection that he had been a de facto employee for 25 years despite having no permanent contract, said he had been let go in 2019, adding he had “asked in the past to be made permanent and pensionable, but that did not come to pass”.

“RTÉ has been disrespecting its workers for decades,” Ms Mezzetti said. “I’d say there are hundreds if not thousands who’re still caught up in this. This isn’t discretionary, it’s not fair. Nobody likes injustice. It’s not just a few well-heeled presenters affected. RTÉ has to be held to account.”