Around 100 RTÉ staff and union representatives staged a protest at RTÉ’s Dublin headquarters following a pay dispute at the broadcaster, reports RTE.
Protests also took place at RTÉ’s regional offices, including in Cork, where staff marched with banners.
The rallies were organized by the National Union of Journalists (NUJ) and were attended by members of SIPTU and Connect and RTÉ staff who are not members of the union.
RTÉ’s new Director General, Kevin Buckhurst, visited the protests in Dublin and spoke with workers and trade union representatives.
Organizers said the protest was held to call on the government to adequately fund public broadcasters.
“I welcome concerns about RTÉ being expressed at committee level, but that rhetoric must be matched by funding and that is going to take some courage,” said Seamus Dooley, Irish Secretary of the NUJ, reports RTE.
SIPTU branch organizer Teresa Hannick says the main issue for RTÉ staff at the moment is funding.
“The staff can’t suffer because of inaction by an executive board and it’s time for the government to properly fund public service broadcasting,” Ms Hannick added.
“The workers who are on the ground have come out today and said enough is enough, we are here to protect our service and we are here for fairness and equity,” General Secretary of the Connect trade union Paddy Kavanagh said, reports RTE.
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