STAFF AT RTÉ will be addressed by boss Kevin Bakhurst later this afternoon to provide further details on a voluntary redundancy scheme, opened at the broadcaster yesterday as part of its agreed strategy to cut 400 jobs.

In order to secure a €20m bailout from the government last year, RTÉ launched its ‘New Direction Strategy’ which included earmarked plans to cut the workforce, limit presenters’ salaries and update its online offerings.

It agreed to cut 400 jobs through a voluntary redundancy scheme, which opened yesterday. Employees with between two and more than ten years of service are invited to consider the programme, which has limited payouts to €300,000.

An email sent to staff by Bakhurst yesterday said that the Department of Public Expenditure had given the station approval to run the scheme this year and that any future programme may be less financially beneficial to applicants.

Each payment issued to staff will be calculated by multiplying employees’ years of service and different rates of pay per their exit salary. For example, those working at RTÉ for two years will be entitled to four weeks of pay for every year service, or eight weeks of pay.

Applications will close on 23 May, with final decisions due in September following discussions between the RTÉ leadership team and Department of Media. Bakhurst and the broadcaster’s HR director will address staff later today with more information.

RTÉ was plunged into crisis in June 2023 when the State broadcaster revealed it under-declared fees to former presenter Ryan Tubridy, its then-highest-paid staff member. The scandal widened as a series of other financial and governance issues emerged. 

It was later approved by Cabinet in July 2024 that RTÉ would receive €725m over three years as part of a new multi-annual funding model, which also made changes to how much control the state has over the public service broadcasters’ finances.