Cash-strapped RTÉ plans to spend 1.5 million euros on gift vouchers for its employees over the next two years.
The national broadcaster is currently working on a massive cost-cutting plan that aims to reduce its spending by €60m over three years amid concerns over its financial position.
However, it still finds money to give its employees vouchers and gift cards worth around 1.5 million euros excluding VAT in 2023 and 2024, the newly released tender documents show.
RTÉ plans to award a contract to supply vouchers after a tender process late next month. The value of the individual gift cards is not known, but denominations of up to 1,000 euros are mentioned in the tender documents.
It is “important” that gift cards can be used across industries given the “diverse nature of the recipients”, according to the tender.
Earlier this year, RTÉ released figures showing that the number of employees earning over €100,000 has risen to 119 in 2021, including 22 employees earning between €150,000 and €250,000.
The figures do not include top earners like Ryan Tubridy, Joe Duffy and Ray D’Arcy, who are independent contractors paid through their own limited companies.
A spokesman for the national broadcaster said the gift vouchers are part of a deal with unions under the auspices of the Industrial Relations Tribunal (IRT).
“The agreement reached seeks to achieve a fair balance – recognising the pay restraint in RTÉ since 2008 and being responsive now to the impact of substantial cost-of-living increases on RTÉ staff and their families – while at the same time acknowledging RTÉ’s own financial position… As part of the agreement, a non-taxable voucher of up to €1,000 will issue in early 2023 and a further voucher of €500 will issue in January 2024,” reports The Mirror.
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