More than 300 RTÉ staff apply for voluntary exit programme

Payments for those who leave will be capped at €300,000
A total of 325 RTÉ workers have applied for a voluntary exit programme as the broadcaster aims to cut staff numbers by up to 400.
The scheme that opened last month closed today. Payments for those who leave will be capped at €300,000.
Workers who are approved will leave the organisation by the end of this year.
In an email to staff this evening, RTÉ director general Kevin Bakhurst said the voluntary exit programme (VEP) was now closed.
'I can confirm that we received a total of 325 applications,' he said. 'As you know, this VEP comprises a Voluntary Severance (VS) and Voluntary Early Retirement (VER) scheme and was open to employees who will have completed at least two years' continuous service on the date their employment ceases.'
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He said applications would be approved only where a robust business case was made, and it could be confirmed that the role can be suppressed or that equivalent savings can be made by suppressing an alternative post and, or redeploying an employee into that role.
Mr Bakhurst said applicants could choose to accept or decline an offer of VS or VER.
'Where decisions are straightforward and approved by RTÉ's leadership team and the RTÉ board's Remuneration and Management Committee, we will make every effort to allow these people leave the organisation as early as is practical, without unduly impacting our operations,' he said.
'All applications will go through a five-stage review process throughout the coming months, as previously outlined, with final decisions on all applications being made by the leadership team and final oversight by the RTÉ board's Remuneration and Management Committee.'
He said a review of applications had already begun.
Mr Bakhurst said while there may be exceptions, communication of final decisions would start from September 1, 'with exits of successful applicants taking place on October 31, November 30 and December 31'.
Staff with over two years' continuous service on their departure date are eligible to apply.
Those with between two and five years of service will receive four weeks' pay per year of service.
Those with five to 10 years' service will receive five weeks' pay per year of service.
Those working at RTÉ for more than 10 years will get six weeks' pay for every year of service.
In a previous email to staff, Mr Bakhurst said any future exit scheme could be less financially beneficial than this one.
He confirmed that the Department of Public Expenditure had given RTÉ approval to open the scheme this year.
Senior management are not eligible to apply. The exit scheme was part of RTÉ's five-year strategy announced in 2023.

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