The campaign aims to highlight the message that ‘RTÉ belongs to the people of Ireland’.
The National Union of Journalists (NUJ) has launched a political lobbying campaign aimed at securing Government support for RTÉ.
It’s the first stage in a unions wide campaign supported by major sister unions including SIPTU, Connect and by the Irish Congress of Trade Unions.
At a reception in Dublin tonight, Michelle Stanistreet, General Secretary of the NUJ launched the campaign, alongside the slogan “It’s Your RTÉ, Save It”.
This comes in response to the cutbacks announced by RTÉ last week, which is set to see the loss of 200 jobs from people in the organisation.
Speaking about the launch of the campaign, Stanistreet said: “RTÉ workers and the Irish people have been let down by their public representatives and by their employer.
“Their future is in the hands of a Government which has shown no willingness to support public service broadcasting and an employer who expects their staff to carry the can for management failure to present a realistic, strategic plan for the organisation.
” NUJ members across the UK and Ireland support our colleagues in RTÉ and we salute all the trade unions for their swift response to this crisis. The message of the campaign is simple: ‘Public Service Broadcasting is worth saving’. The consequences of a diminished RTÉ would be the diminution of Irish culture in all its rich diversity.”
Friday night’s launch takes place on the eve of the NUJ’S Biennial Delegate Conference. At the conference, delegates will debate an emergency motion on the financial crisis at RTÉ
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