Trade unions representing RTÉ staff wrote to its governing authority last night to demand they be allowed to see a consultant's report which outlines several options for a radical restructuring of the national broadcaster.
The report, which details further job losses and the sell-off of large tracks of land at RTÉ's Montrose headquarters as viable options, was presented to RTÉ's executive team at a meeting yesterday. It will be considered by the RTÉ Authority tomorrow morning.
The authority is expected to make fundamental decisions about RTÉ's future over the next two months.
An RTÉ spokeswoman would not comment on the detail of the restructuring options, which some commentators have said may include options to drastically reduce program making at RTÉ but it is believed some of the proposals are radical and would further reduce RTÉ's staffing levels. Previous plans unveiled over the past two years have already seen the loss of more than 400 jobs.
The emergence of this new report - prepared by KPMG and Logical Strategy - has angered some RTÉ union leaders, who have overseen the previous cost cutting programmes at the station.
Mr John Coakley, secretary of the RTÉ group of unions, told The Irish Times yesterday he was drafting a letter to the authority to ask to see the report.
He said management should act in the spirit of partnership and warned a steady drip effect of people leaving RTÉ was damaging the organisation.
He also called on the company to be more transparent in its accounting and finances. "It is entirely reasonable to expect an organisation, which gets 35 per cent of its money from the public, to be accountable," he said.
Mr Coakley said this new consultants' report really dated back to last July when the Minister, Ms De Valera had given an increase of just £14.50 (€18.40) in the licence fee. Since its request for a licence fee increase of £50 was rejected by the Government last year RTÉ has claimed it faces a financial crisis. Last November the RTÉ Authority endorsed cutbacks of £23.4 million and 150 job cuts in an effort to prevent losses rising over £20 million during 2001.
