Siptu representative Teresa Hannick has pointed out that RTÉ was in “severe financial difficulty” and undergoing a “cost reduction plan” at the time it was negotiating the pay deal with Ryan Tubridy.
The people she represented were the “ordinary people”, the camera operators, the broadcast coordinators, production assistants, makeup, wardrobe and researchers.
“None of these people can even hope to earn that €75,000 that's been brandished around here for the past couple of days.”
These were the people who went to work at the public broadcaster every day, and they now felt “betrayed” by the executive board and the executive management team at RTÉ.
Meanwhile, Sinn Féin’s finance spokesperson Pearse Doherty said that RTÉ has even more questions to answer following the release of their statement on Tuesday. “I think they are still trying to cover their tracks.”
“I think they were very careful in relation to how they presented their statement.
"It is clear from reading the Grant Thornton review and remember, this is a review that was commissioned by RTÉ, it doesn't provide all the information either in terms of the documentation, but it is clear that half the executive board knew of a second contract and negotiations in relation to a second contract for Ryan Tubridy, and some of them knew more,” he told RTÉ radio’s Morning Ireland.
“I'm disappointed to learn so far that a number of the people who've been invited to come before the committee haven't yet said that it will be before the committee.
Oireachtas Committee
"We know Dee Forbes has said that she won't be there due to illness. It is absolutely essential that Dee Forbes provides the information that is required as soon as she possibly can."
RTE officials will appear at the Oireachtas Media Committee will meet at 1.30pm on Wednesday for a discussion "on recent revelations concerning the transparency of RTÉ’s expenditure of public funds and governance issues following the statement issued by the RTÉ Board on 22 June 2023".
The TD said; "From the statement it was clear that Ryan Tubridy’s agent had phoned the commercial director and had a conversation in relation to year two of the agreement."
Mr Doherty said that from the statement it was obvious that some people might not have known X, but they did know Y and that was the problem.
“We need those people before the committee today. We need to hear exactly what is happening. It's not fair for committee members who are preparing for this not to know who are actually going to be present today because your line of questioning has to be thought out in terms of who is actually presenting before you and why the chairperson of the board will be there.
Inside culture
What was at the heart of the controversy was an “insider culture” where those at the very top were “looked after” with “sweet deals” while other staff had their wages suppressed or cut, and they did not get the support they needed because of belt tightening."
It comes as the general secretary of the National Union of Journalists (NUJ), Seamus Dooley has said that the statement from RTÉ on Tuesday had in many respects made matters worse.
“What we now know is what happened. We know who was involved, but not quite how. For me, the big reason is the why. What the hell is going on?” he told RTÉ radio’s Morning Ireland.
“We don't know why the executive board got involved in this way. We do not know why it was deemed appropriate for a special arrangement to be put in place for one individual. I'm also confused as to why some of the executive board were not involved.
“The reports specifically says that the human resources director had no role in it. And what that points to is that there is a special treatment for a class of worker in this organisation, and the human resources director is not involved.
"Not a criticism of her, but of the process, because surely there has to be some someone who says, how does that fit with our strategic policy here? And that's a real problem.
“What is really important is that it does not become some sort of punishment beating for RTÉ or indeed that it gives succour to those who are in the long grass who have been attacking public service broadcasting.
“It is within the gift of the executive board to explain in detail and probably tedious detail who did what and why. Why did I sign the contract? Why did I not advise Dee Forbes that this bit does not make sense.
"It's necessary to explain why public money was spent by RTÉ provide receptions and opportunities for Renault.
"The reality is that RTÉ doesn't have a crew in the Midlands at the moment, yet RTÉ provided technical staff and facilities for receptions. So literally it means giving the committee that information and if they don't, it will just become a slagging match."
Fianna Fáil TD Christopher O’Sullivan, who is a member of the Oireachtas Media Committee said the questioning of RTÉ executives will be “forensic” and he did not want any “fudging”.
The Committee was seeking transparency and answers to the many outstanding questions, he told RTÉ radio’s Morning Ireland.
However, he said he feared there would be deflections and that the meeting of the Oireachtas committee “could prove a futile exercise.”
