Martina FitzGerald quitting RTE; Receiving substantial payout in exchange for silence

hatrickpatrick · 22-12-2018 10:01AM #1

https://www.independent.ie/irish-news/martina-fitzgerald-will-leave-rt-after-being-given-substantial-payout-37650792.html

Surprised not to see a thread on this here already.

Just what the hell went on here? There's obviously a fair amount of behind the scenes stuff we don't know about. The whole incident has been very odd - RTE not mentioning FitzGerald in their statement announcing Cunningham replacing her, politicians scolding the public broadcaster over its choice of political correspondent (not a good look IMO regardless of how one feels about this), FitzGerald apparently looking into possible legal action she might have taken, and now this "hush hush" payout as she decides to quit the broadcaster altogether.

Obviously with RTE's requirement to re-advertise these positions every few years to keep the unions happy, nobody can assume they're going to be rubber stamped back into the job. Her demotion alone wouldn't have seemed that peculiar if RTE hadn't burned her in their announcement of her replacement - very unusual and some would say bad form, not to name her or thank her for her service in announcing the next person to take the role. This would imply some bad blood behind the scenes. Many have speculated that it's linked to her comments on gender pay equality in RTE, but to my mind it would be both incredibly petty and incredibly foolish for RTE to so blatantly "retaliate" for that - if that's what they're doing, they're being very obvious about it. So that to me suggests that this isn't the real reason.

Has anyone been following this more closely? Are there other goings-on here which have passed me by, or does the whole incident just seem somehow.... Strange?

suicide_circus · 22-12-2018 10:10AM

the cash was clearly more important to her than spilling the beans so we can only assume she's happy with the settlement.

kneemos · 22-12-2018 10:16AM

What was the settlement for?

fergiesfolly · 22-12-2018 10:25AM

Publicly funded organisations shouldn't get to give undisclosed payments to anyone without an explanation.
I'm seriously sick of RTE and wish the government would appoint a minister who has the balls to clean it up and have a major clear out.

VonZan · 22-12-2018 10:33AM

You have to laugh at the Montrose elite. The entitlement culture in there is sickening. Ray D'Arcy et al are stealing a living.

Kivaro · 22-12-2018 10:34AM

It's RTE.
They don't give a crap about the money we are forced to pay them.

Even though Martina has signed a confidentiality agreement with RTE, she still has a "friend" who was able to make comments yesterday to a national newspaper about the deal e.g.

Last night, a friend of Ms Fitzgerald said she was "thrilled" with the deal struck with the broadcaster.

"RTÉ offered her a settlement and she is delighted with the outcome," the source added.

The source added: "She won't be in any rush to make a decision on her next career move due to the settlement."

So her "friend" went to great pains in order to proclaim to the world that her settlement was substantial.
Wonder how many television licenses did it take to pay her off?

And you think that was bad?
What was more galling is the fact that "several senior politicians, including Cabinet minister Mary Mitchell O'Connor spoke out publicly against RTÉ's decision not to renew Ms Fitzgerald's contract as a political correspondent."
So if there was ever a sign of back-scratching collusion between RTE and the government, you have it right here.

RTE should be disbanded and re-built from the ground up (not top down) on a subscription and advertisement basis.
They are not fit for purpose.

McMurphy · 22-12-2018 10:38AM

fergiesfolly wrote: »

Publicly funded organisations shouldn't get to give undisclosed payments to anyone without an explanation.
I'm seriously sick of RTE and wish the government would appoint a minister who has the balls to clean it up and have a major clear out.

This.

You can't have Forbes etc whispering in ministers ears for a raise of the fee for a license to own television.

And in the next breath throw this money around to silence people at their discretion.

Someone needs to drain the swamp in Montrose. Law unto themselves.

Mebuntu · 22-12-2018 11:15AM

Ludicrous. Someone works in a job with a 5 year contract. The contract expires and someone else gets the job for the next 5 years. The person who was replaced then gets a "substantial" payoff for not having been offered a renewal of the contract. That's some precedent to set in any organisation let alone a publically funded one!

Ardent · 22-12-2018 11:34AM

No doubt the gender card was played here, judging by past form and recent comments by her ally Mary Jobs-for-the-girls-only Mitchell O'Connor.

Between this payoff and letting Beverly Flynn off the hook for millions in legal costs a few years ago, RTE can go f**k themselves looking for TV license money off me.

kneemos · 22-12-2018 11:44AM

Ardent wrote: »

No doubt the gender card was played here, judging by past form and recent comments by her ally Mary Jobs-for-the-girls-only Mitchell O'Connor.

Between this payoff and letting Beverly Flynn off the hook for millions in legal costs a few years ago, RTE can go f**k themselves looking for TV license money off me.

Paid her off because she threatened legal action on gender equality. That's crazy.

As she says herself she can take her time looking for another job thanks to the settlement. Who's going to hire her I wonder?

Franz Von Peppercorn · 22-12-2018 11:44AM

I too question an NDA in a publically funded organisation. Maybe she can’t disclose but possibly a FOI could.

TCM · 22-12-2018 11:52AM

Whatever about the pay out, I'm happy that I don't have listen to her amateurish reporting. Every second sentence was interrupted by a swallowing catching breath type motion. Good riddince I say.

22-12-2018 11:58AM

hatrickpatrick wrote: »

https://www.independent.ie/irish-news/martina-fitzgerald-will-leave-rt-after-being-given-substantial-payout-37650792.html
.... Obviously with RTE's requirement to re-advertise these positions every few years to keep the unions happy, nobody can assume they're going to be rubber stamped back into the job.

So, jobs have to be advertised every few years "to keep the unions happy" that union members will only have contracts for a few years rather than permanent contracts?

suicide_circus · 22-12-2018 12:03PM

a dirty dirty organisation

seamusk84 · 22-12-2018 12:07PM

Seriously p****d off that I paid my license fee this year now.

SEPT 23 1989 · 22-12-2018 12:11PM

Point one

She must know where the serious dead bodies are buried over there

Point Two

Can Ingrid union sources miley be paid off to fcuk off as well?

Harry Palmr · 22-12-2018 12:22PM

All looks very murky. Fitzgerald's contract was for 5 years, she reapplied but didn't get the job again. On what basis did she sue and on what basis did RTE cave in?

kneemos · 22-12-2018 01:11PM

Harry Palmr wrote: »

All looks very murky. Fitzgerald's contract was for 5 years, she reapplied but didn't get the job again. On what basis did she sue and on what basis did RTE cave in?

Looks like she threatened them with something or other and RTE responded by "here have a bin bag full of money".

Cockford Ollie · 22-12-2018 01:16PM

Woman replaces man in a job. Good thing.

Man replaces women in a job. Sexist, patriarchal misogynist society which warrants condemnation from elected officials.

Gender equality is great.

Idbatterim · 22-12-2018 01:21PM

Laughable many of you complaining here and at the same time paying the license fee. If people stop paying in large numbers , they won’t be able to do sfa about it. This outrageous waste goes on and there was war about the water charges ? Lol!

hatrickpatrick · 22-12-2018 03:55PM

Deleted User wrote: »

So, jobs have to be advertised every few years "to keep the unions happy" that union members will only have contracts for a few years rather than permanent contracts?

I don't have the details on this agreement, but I do have it from people who have worked in RTE That the five year review thing is indeed a union-driven arrangement, and has not always been in place at RTE.

EDIT: Just for the record, I'm not really on any particular "side" in this, I just find the story very odd and intriguing, and would bet a fair amount on there being some interesting hidden element here we're not being told about.

padd b1975 · 22-12-2018 05:39PM

kneemos wrote: »

What was the settlement for?

Having her feelings hurt because her contract wasn't renewed.

Carlingford Locked · 22-12-2018 06:36PM

Idbatterim wrote: »

Laughable many of you complaining here and at the same time paying the license fee. If people stop paying in large numbers , they won’t be able to do sfa about it. This outrageous waste goes on and there was war about the water charges ? Lol!

I know, it's like 15e a month or something. Imagine trying to introduce a new tax for 15e a month, for water or whatever. There'd be Gilet Jaunes all over the place.
Meanwhile they don't have a problem paying 600k for Ryan f**king Tubridy who got his job through nepotism. At least recruitment in other public services are as transparent as they can be for the most part. It beggar's belief.

gandalf · 22-12-2018 07:30PM

TBH RTE is an incredibly political organisation I can only assume that Fitzgerald pissed someone off. I don't understand why she got a payoff if she was a contract worker. I can only speculate that something else has gone on in the background. It does annoy me that RTE seem to be willing to throw our money at their problems like they did when they "offended" the Iona Institute a few years ago.

RTE at this stage is a waste of taxpayers money. In recent years I can think of only a handful of programmes that have been any good at all. The output certainly doens't justify their cost to us as taxpayers. My personal believe is they should be shut down.

22-12-2018 09:02PM

gandalf wrote: »

TBH RTE is an incredibly political organisation I can only assume that Fitzgerald pissed someone off. I don't understand why she got a payoff if she was a contract worker. I can only speculate that something else has gone on in the background. It does annoy me that RTE seem to be willing to throw our money at their problems like they did when they "offended" the Iona Institute a few years ago.

RTE at this stage is a waste of taxpayers money. In recent years I can think of only a handful of programmes that have been any good at all. The output certainly doens't justify their cost to us as taxpayers. My personal believe is they should be shut down.

Go the Netflix route, you want it, you pay a tenner/fifteen a month....cant think of anything id watch on it, American shows which are months behind other stations, Crap shows with D'arcy/Tubbs/talentless relatives et al

Venom · 22-12-2018 09:54PM

Zaiden Prickly Schoolmarm wrote: »

Go the Netflix route, you want it, you pay a tenner/fifteen a month....cant think of anything id watch on it, American shows which are months behind other stations, Crap shows with D'arcy/Tubbs/talentless relatives et al

RTE willingly going the Netflix route will never happen as even they aren't deluded enough to think the majority of viewers won't opt out the second they can. What I can see happening over the next decade, is more and more people moving to non-receiver capable TV's so as to legally avoid having to paying the licence fee.

TheRiverman · 22-12-2018 10:15PM

I always thought her presentation was very poor in front of the camera,constantly pausing to catch her breath and swallow,even when she was in the studio with the newsreader,she was still doing it.

dxhound2005 · 22-12-2018 10:47PM

Carlingford Locked wrote: »

I know, it's like 15e a month or something. Imagine trying to introduce a new tax for 15e a month, for water or whatever. There'd be Gilet Jaunes all over the place.
Meanwhile they don't have a problem paying 600k for Ryan f**king Tubridy who got his job through nepotism. At least recruitment in other public services are as transparent as they can be for the most part. It beggar's belief.

If you think that beggars belief you would be amazed at the stupidity of those who pay the likes of Sky. They fork out vast sums every month, and then mostly watch BBC and ITV programmes which are Free to Air.

mikeym · 22-12-2018 11:01PM

Good old Rte they never fail to disappoint.

seamusk84 · 22-12-2018 11:19PM

TheRiverman wrote: »

I always thought her presentation was very poor in front of the camera,constantly pausing to catch her breath and swallow,even when she was in the studio with the newsreader,she was still doing it.

She was never their most articulate corespondent. Very noticeable when they spoke to her live on the 6’1 when she was standing outside the Dail.
I assume this is the reason they didn’t want to renew her contract, she genuinely wasn’t up to standard.

gandalf · 22-12-2018 11:21PM

seamusk84 wrote: »

She was never their most articulate corespondent. Very noticeable when they spoke to her live on the 6’1 when she was standing outside the Dail.
I assume this is the reason they didn’t want to renew her contract, she genuinely wasn’t up to standard.

Then why the payoff?

Martina FitzGerald quitting RTE; Receiving substantial payout in exchange for silence

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