3 RTÉ forced to end pay freeze


RTÉ has been forced to end the unilateral freeze on increments due this year to 490 staff. The RTÉ Trade Union Group last month secured a significant victory at the Industrial Relations Tribunal (IRT), when unions successfully argued that management’s actions were in breach of collective agreements. Management has agreed to pay increments with immediate effect, meaning that staff wrongly denied an incremental increase will receive retrospective payments. RTÉ had relied on a clause inserted into contracts without trade union consultation to justify their action. The Tribunal found that the so-called “inability to


pay clause” was wrongly imposed and emphasised the need for adherence to industrial relations agreements by the company. RTÉ and the Trade Union Group have agreed to


resume negotiations on cost reduction proposals at the company under an independent chair, as recommended by the IRT. RTÉ suspended the payment of increments in January with the objective of saving €1.1m by denying the lowest paid staff within the organisation their entitlements. Irish Secretary Séamus Dooley welcomed the decision of the IRT, hailing it as “a significant achievement for union members and a clear signal that RTÉ cannot unilaterally walk away from agreements”. He added: “There is no doubt that RTÉ faces financial challenges and the TUG has been available for the resumption of talks throughout the summer. RTÉ wrongly suspended the payment of increments and sought to rely on a clause sneaked into contracts behind the backs of trade unions. That is no way for the public service broadcaster to behave and they have been called out for this serious departure from industrial relations norms.” Increments are paid to staff on their respective pay


scale annually, and usually on the date they commenced employment on the basis of satisfactory performance. Staff progress up their pay scale until they reach the maximum of their scale. The Covid-19 lockdown delayed hearing of the IRT


case, and for the first time a full hearing was heard via Zoom on September 24th, after two unsuccessful conciliation conferences. The determination was published on October 20th.


IEC Treasurer, Cearbhaill Ó Síocháin, presented the submission to the Industrial Relations Tribunal.


The IRT, chaired by former Labour Court member John Doherty, described the case as the most difficult to come before the tribunal in recent years. On the issue of contracts Mr Doherty noted: “The change involving the insertion of a new term and condition dealing with ‘inability to pay’, in what now amounts to a majority of individual contracts, had limited, and lacked wider disclosure, and remains unacceptable in an Industrial Relations context.” Paul Murphy, chair, RTÉ sub branch, and Petulia Martin, MoC News Room chapel, represented the NUJ at the hearing along with Séamus Dooley. IEC Treasurer Cearbhaill Ó Síocháin, who is full-time secretary of the TUG, presented the submission while incoming NEC member Fran McNulty served as TUG nominee to the IRT alongside Shirley Bradshaw, SIPTU.


Dooley calls for urgent change to law after identification ruling


Irish secretary Séamus Dooley has called on the Government to introduce urgent legislation to allow the identification of murdered children, following the recent ruling of the Court of Appeal. The ruling means the media is no longer able to publish the names of children when someone is charged with killing them.


It also means the person charged with the child’s


murder or manslaughter cannot be named if, by doing so, the child would also be identified. The Irish Secretary said: “This is an absurd situation


with serious implications for the media but more importantly for the families and for the administration of justice. It is an anomaly which must be dealt with.”


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