RTÉ to axe 20% of jobs and transfer more production to Cork

Part of that plan will see an expansion of production in Cork.

RTÉ will cut its workforce by 20%, increase spending on independent productions and cut costs by €10m, it has told the Government.

The broadcaster, embattled since the revelations over Ryan Tubridy's pay, had agreed to publish a plan outlining how it plans to overhaul its spending.

That plan went to Media Minister Catherine Martin last week and has been shared with other cabinet ministers. 

Senior Cabinet sources confirmed on Monday that the plan calls for a 20% reduction in staff — around 380 people. RTÉ also aims to cut its costs by €10m in 2024.

The plan is believed to outline that the reduction in staff will begin next year, along with a proposal to leave part of the Donnybrook site, which would be sold or rented. There is no plan to sell the entire campus.

Part of that plan will see an expansion of production in Cork, Limerick, and Galway.

RTÉ director-general Kevin Bakhurst

The reduction in headcount is planned to be voluntary and would cost in the region of €40m.

RTÉ also pledges to increase the number of programmes which are commissioned from outside the broadcaster to 50% by 2028 and to roll out new digital products.

RTÉ's new director-general Kevin Bakhurst will meet staff on Tuesday for a town hall meeting where the plan will be discussed.

A statement issued by the RTÉ Trade Union Group (TUG) said: "Following today's media leaking of RTÉ's strategic plan on the future of the organisation the TUG calls on RTÉ to release the full document to staff immediately. It is not acceptable that staff should find out about the plan in this way and now be worried about the security of their jobs."

Meanwhile, the National Union of Journalists (NUJ) said the leak of the document was a "further blow" to the trust that staff have in RTÉ.

NUJ Secretary Seamus Dooley said: "Publication of RTÉ’s strategy document by way of media leaks is a further blow to the trust of staff in an organisation where morale is at an all-time low.

"The National Union of Journalists supports the call by the RTÉ Trade Union Group for immediate circulation of the strategy document. 

"I acknowledge that the Director General wants to put his proposals in context but that ship has now sailed and the only way to allay the fears of staff is immediate release of the document.

"Trade unions representatives are scheduled to meet the Director General at noon ahead of the staff briefing. 

Both events are in danger of being an empty charade. We had sought earlier sight of the document but this request was declined for reasons of condfidentiality.

Mr Dooley said that the group were "gravely concerned" at the scale of the proposed redundancies.

"(We) will require detailed information on how it is proposed to maintain core services and the impact on staff of such drastic proposals.

"Against the backdrop of an investigation into the last Voluntary Redundancy Programme staff will be very sceptical about a new programme.

"Staff will want an assurance that there is a genuine, sustainable long plan based on clearly defined objectives that than a set of announcements aimed at securing government support for short term funding."