Knives out for RTE

Interesting stuff from esteemed Fianna Fail TDs today.

Following Senator Jim Walsh last night:

“RTÉ is facing a shortfall in its revenues for 2009 in the order of €50 million and the director general has already indicated to this committee that members of senior management have taken a cut in their salaries,” he said.

Well-paid contract presenters at the station should follow this example, said Mr Walsh.

Mattie McGrath TD for South Tipperary came out today:

South Tipperary TD and member of the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Communications, Energy and Natural Resources Deputy Mattie McGrath has today called for a total review of the system and amount of payments received from RTÉ under a series of contractual arrangements for a number of their presenters.

Deputy McGrath makes his call after yesterday’s meeting of the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Communications where figures for the 10 highest paid presenters for the year 2006 on an earnings basis were presented. Deputy McGrath was disappointed that the committee only received figures for 2006 nearly three years ago as the figures probably do not reflect current scale of payments.

On Deputy McGrath’s calculations it takes 5307 TV License holder contributions of €160 to meet the cost of paying RTÉ’s highest paid presenter for one year. “In these challenging times Deputy McGrath has called for the top earning presenters in RTÉ to take considerable pay cuts in line with the move to reduce expenses in the public service.
“I think it’s an outrage that RTÉ does not provide a full list of earnings for its top earners on an annual basis” said Deputy McGrath. “What other institution in the country, public or private gets to hide behind the flimsy excuse of competitive disadvantage? Is there only competition for employees in the broadcasting industry?”

“The Government is currently in the midst of discussions regarding reform of the public services. If these reforms go ahead then the ordinary employees in RTÉ will almost certainly have to take a pay cut. Yet those top earners in RTÉ will be exempted.” Deputy McGrath believes that those people who have benefited most from the boom years should have to take the extra burden and that must include those earning hundreds of thousands a year in RTÉ. “They need to take a considerable pay cut,” he said.
“I will be asking for these issues to be raised further at the Oireachtas Committee and I will also be writing to Minister Eamon Ryan and asking him to intervene. I honestly can’t believe RTÉ has been allowed to get away with this for so long.”

“If we’re going to have an open and transparent public service, as we often hear various personalities on RTÉ call for, then everyone has to be included in that. That includes the State broadcaster,” Deputy McGrath concluded.

Not to be outdone, Chris Andrews:

RTÉ needs to follow the lead of the BBC and cut the huge fees it pays to its highest stars according to Chris Andrews TD.  The Dublin South East Fianna Fáil TD pointed to the announcement by the British public broadcaster who confirmed on Thursday that they will be reducing the fees to their highest paid stars such as Jonathon Ross, Jeremy Clarkson and Chris Moyles as a result of the current market conditions.

British media reports have suggested that top BBC radio and TV stars earning more than ST£100,000 per year will be facing 25% pay cuts when their contracts come up for renewal.  Earlier in the week the BBC told more than 400 senior managers that their salaries would in effect be cut by up to 12% next year as the corporation axes bonuses and freezes pay in a move that will save them ST£20 million.

“If the BBC is insisting that their top earners take a pay cut then I see no reason why RTÉ shouldn’t do the same,” said Deputy Andrews.  There is far more competition for broadcasting talent in the UK than there is in the Irish marketplace.  So why should these people be exempt?”

“Why should Pat Kenny with his near on €900,000 a year salary not have to tighten his belt when everyone else in the country is?  That isn’t right and it’s not in keeping with the reality that everyone else in the country is facing.”

“I really think that RTÉ needs to look very closely at what the BBC is doing and follow their lead.  That goes for the top earners as well as the senior management.  The new economic realities dictate that everyone in the public sector needs to accept that these are difficult times.  In particular those who symbolise the excesses of the public sector such as the top earners in RTÉ need to be seen to be in line with the rest of the country.”

“Paying any public sector employee more than half a million euro a year is insane in the current climate.  Yet effectively that’s what every single licence fee payer in the country is doing at the moment,” said Deputy Andrews.