RTE staff to ballot over talks on wage cuts

yrwhu8jxtni06a

http://www.tribune.ie/news/article/2011/jan/23/rte-staff-to-ballot-over-talks-on-wage-cuts/

RTÉ staff will ballot this week on entering formal negotiations with management as relations deteriorate over the station's refusal to reinstate previous wage cuts. A series of meetings will be held before the vote is taken, and a key issue will be the "disproportionate" salaries of star broadcasters such as Pat Kenny, Ryan Tubridy and Marian Finucane.


The Trade Union Group (TUG) was due to meet with management last week but moved to seek a mandate from its members to do so.


A countrywide ballot will begin on Tuesday with the result expected by 1 February. However, even if the TUG was denied permission to meet with management, RTÉ sources said industrial action was unlikely.


"The opening position is likely to be that the time period [for a temporary pay cut which expired on 31 December] is up, so where is our money?" a source said. "RTÉ said it can't pay it. Staff said there was no other agreement. It is quite clear that management are looking for negotiations – not to tell staff what their position is."


As well as ballots in Dublin, it is likely union officials will travel to the regional centre in Cork, Lyric FM in Limerick, Raidió na Gaeltachta in Galway and to TG4, where some Nuacht employees are based.


"I would be very surprised if there was a vote for any kind of industrial action," a source said.


If staff reject formal talks with management, unions would then have to examine their options. It is believed, however, that next week's vote will sanction talks.


The stand-off follows a recent meeting in which an external review of the station's financial health found that the reinstatement of staff pay cuts will almost certainly not happen, based on budget forecasts that predict a big deficit for 2011. However, while staff are said to be reconciled to the idea of an extension to pay cuts, the issue of "disproportionate" wages for the highest-earning stars will feature prominently in any negotiations.

Ok,some cut their wages,but are some of them struggling to keep up with their lifestyle?.

later12

But this is about the wages of the researchers, the production assistants and the catering ladies. It isn't about Pat Kenny or Marian Finucane, so I'm not sure of the context in which the above statement is made.

I think this is just symptomatic of a coming period of strike action in the wider workforce. Now is the time to tighten procedure on resorting to official industrial action, in my opinion.

rumour

later10 wrote: »

I think this is just symptomatic of a coming period of strike action in the wider public service,semi stateworkforce. .

Minor edit but relevant none the less. I would love to see a private sector(tax) strike demanding less taxes and a reduction in the state spending. Don't hink thats what you are referring to so that only leaves our usual associates in the permi state jobs.

gandalf

TBH they would want to be very careful with any attempted strike action in RTE. This is one area where people do have a choice with a private Irish based TV channel and Sky News covering this country as well. As regards light entertainment most of RTE's broadcast is available on a multitude of other channels.

They could lose even more viewers if any service disruption occurs which they cannot afford. At this stage I think they should look at breaking RTE up and privatising the parts that would be viable entities in their own right.

(They are right about one thing and that is the ridiculous money paid to our so called local stars. That needs to be dealt with drastically. If they don't like it then they can feck off to England).

lmimmfn

i dont even understand the need to keep RTE? The News, Frontline and Primetime are about the only interesting programmes on it, the rest is generally recycled US junk on loads of other channels anyway.

RichardAnd

Hmm does this mean that RTE presenters might strike and thus, we'd have no RTE for a while? God forbid :rolleyes:

BeeDI

Look, it's high time for a double digit increase in the TV licence fee, so the deserving folks in RTE, can get back to the lifestyle, commensurate with their undoubted style, class, diligence, integrity, insightfullness, and general high standards of reporting on matters of national importance.

Shure, didn'y ye all hear poor auld Olivia O Leary, tell the whole country, that she drives around in a 12 year old VW Golf, on Tubridy the other night:o
Next thing, ye will want P Kenny and Tubridy, and heaven forbid, Marian Finnucane, to arse around the country in a shook aould VW Golf

yrwhu8jxtni06a

BeeDI wrote: »

Shure, didn'y ye all hear poor auld Olivia O Leary, tell the whole country, that she drives around in a 12 year old VW Golf, on Tubridy the other night:o
Next thing, ye will want P Kenny and Tubridy, and heaven forbid, Marian Finnucane, to arse around the country in a shook aould VW Golf

In fairness they are paid a good bit,gerry ryan *rip*,earned €12000 a week.

source- http://www.sundayworld.com/columnists/?aid=6346