The proposals would have seen staff earning €160,000 or more have their salary cut by just over 5%.
A whopping 87% of RTÉ staff have rejected proposals for cost-saving measures, including salary cuts and job losses, in the state broadcaster that would have saved an estimated €8.3 million.
RTÉ reports that the results of a ballot, released on Wednesday afternoon, revealed that just 13% of staff voted in favour of the proposals, aimed at helping to alleviate financial difficulties at RTÉ as part of a pledge to save €60 million over a three-year period.
Under the proposals, RTÉ staff earning over €40,000 per annum would have had to take salary cuts ranging from 3.5% to 5.35% of their gross pay depending on their current earnings (see details below).
Staff earning under €40,000 per annum were exempt from the cuts under the proposals.
- Staff earning between €40,000 and €70,000: 3.5% cut from gross pay
- Staff earning between €70,000 and €100,000: 3.85% cut from gross pay
- Staff earning between €100,000 and €130,000: 4.35% cut from gross pay
- Staff earning between €130,000 and €160,000: 4.85% cut from gross pay
- Staff earning over €160,000: 5.35% cut from gross pay
As part of the proposals, paid sick leave at RTÉ would have been halved to bring it into line with public service and certified sick leave would drop from five days per year to seven days over two years.
Various allowances would also be affected, while there would be a drop in salary protection for those experiencing long-term illnesses, as well as RTÉ’s contribution towards it.
It had been proposed that the measures would remain in effect for a two-year period beginning on 1 May and that RTÉ would commit to restoring salaries and other allowances once that period had been completed.
In an attempt to cut costs and increase savings, RTÉ has already launched a voluntary exit programme, opened to participants last month, which is expected to result in up to 70 job losses this year.
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