RTÉ has lastly submitted a revised marketing strategy for its controversial redundancy scheme to the Authorities – 5 months after it was requested to take action, the Mail has realized.
The stalled Voluntary Exit Programme (VEP) is now anticipated to reopen ‘imminently’, a senior station supply mentioned this week.
They added the ‘slim parameters’ of the first-round scheme – beneath which the roles of anybody who was accepted beneath the voluntary scheme should be 100 per cent ‘suppressed’, which means the roles are now not wanted – are additionally anticipated to widen.
The information was greeted with reduction by some workers members this week.
One RTÉ worker informed the Mail: ‘It seemed for some time like administration had been hoping that individuals would get so fed up with ready for the redundancy scheme, that they’d simply depart and that did occur.’
Final week, Media Minister Patrick O’Donovan publicly mentioned the gradual tempo of reform at RTÉ was the rationale he was withholding €20million of a promised €240million in funding subsequent yr.
Mr O’Donovan was understood to be referring particularly to the VEP, which was introduced with nice fanfare in March final yr.
It promised to ship 400 exits from the closely staffed broadcaster by 2029. However 20 months in, the scheme has solely managed to ship 68 departures beneath the programme.
The Mail has beforehand reported how RTÉ administration had urged the Authorities to chill out stipulation that VEP candidates’ roles be absolutely suppressed with a view to meet the voluntary redundancy targets.
Up till this week, RTÉ administration had failed to offer all the data Minister O’Donovan had sought concerning the proposed second spherical of the scheme.
Nevertheless, the Division of Tradition, Communications and Sport – which has accountability for RTÉ – this weekend confirmed the broadcaster had lastly submitted its enterprise case.
A Division spokesperson informed the Mail: ‘The Division acquired an preliminary enterprise case for a 2026/2027 Voluntary Exit Programme (VEP) from RTÉ on 17 June 2026.
‘This was reviewed by the Division and NewERA, and observations had been offered to RTÉ requesting submission of an up to date and extra complete enterprise case, which was acquired from RTÉ this week.
‘The enterprise case will now be thought of by the Minister, previous to looking for the consent of the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation.’
RTÉ additionally confirmed: ‘All info has been offered.’
The Mail understands the parameters of the redundancy scheme will now widen and RTÉ will now not should show that it may make a 100 per cent saving with every exit achieved.
A senior administration supply mentioned the necessity to absolutely suppress a job, which was a stipulation of the primary spherical, can be eliminated.
‘We’re going to see a a lot much less strict scheme which can get individuals shifted out and that’s going to occur imminently,’ they mentioned.
Greater than 300 workers members expressed an curiosity in leaving beneath the VEP when it was launched final yr.
Showing earlier than the Oireachtas Media Committee final December, director-general Kevin Bakhurst mentioned RTÉ may have achieved 30 to 40 extra departures than the 68 who’ve signed as much as the redundancy scheme if there was ‘barely extra flexibility’.
Sources mentioned ‘overly stringent’ oversight from the Division hindered the scheme and the Authorities’s acknowledged intention of attaining a extra streamlined and cost- efficient nationwide broadcaster.
This has resulted in frustration throughout the organisation on the a part of dozens of people that had unsuccessfully utilized for the redundancy scheme.
One supply informed the Mail earlier this yr: ‘It was overly stringent; the Division gave the impression to be blocking every part.
‘RTÉ needed to present there could be a 100 per cent saving earlier than an worker may avail of the scheme. That’s very tough to do.
‘There gave the impression to be no margin of error. So if junior roles had been to be suppressed to permit one senior particular person to depart and RTÉ had been making a 95 per cent saving, the Division would say “no, that particular person can’t go”. You’ll be able to see why it was so gradual.’
One other RTÉ supply informed the Mail: ‘The Division was demanding an increasing number of info on every utility is what I perceive. There was backwards and forwards and backwards and forwards after which the Division would finally say, “No, there isn’t sufficient of a saving, that particular person isn’t getting it.”’ Welcoming the information that RTÉ will lastly current its enterprise case this week, an RTÉ workers member informed the MoS. ‘It could actually’t come quick sufficient.
‘They’ve dangled this factor in entrance of our faces for practically two years now. Most individuals who went for it [in the first round] didn’t get it. If the Division is severe about eliminating individuals, there are many takers.’
