SIPTU members in RTÉ will host an urgent political briefing regarding the escalating crisis in public service broadcasting.
The meeting follows a resounding 89% vote of no confidence by SIPTU members in the ‘New Direction’ strategy currently being implemented by RTÉ management. The strategy has already resulted in 97 job losses in 2025, with management targeting a further reduction of 350 ordinary staff due to a financial crisis resulting from historic mismanagement at the station.
SIPTU representatives, including Services Divisional Organiser Adrian Kane and Sector Organiser Robbie Purfield, along with RTÉ staff representatives and members of the Opposition, will be in attendance to discuss the ongoing crisis and the impact of the current management strategy on the future of the broadcaster.
SIPTU Services Divisional Organiser, Adrian Kane, said: “Our members have sent a clear message, the current trajectory is not a ‘new direction’ but a dead end. By eviscerating RTÉ’s in-house production capacity, we are effectively reducing the national broadcaster to a mere publishing platform. We believe documentary, drama and other productions, as well as flagship programmes including The Late Late Show and Fair City must remain in-house to protect the creative integrity of the station and the terms and conditions of those working in the cultural industries.”
The Union is also calling for an urgent resolution to the funding crisis, noting that the TV licence fee has remained stagnant for 18 years while compliance and enforcement issues continue to go unaddressed.
SIPTU Sector Organiser, Robbie Purfield, said: “Successive administrations have avoided the hard decisions necessary to fund a sustainable model of public service broadcasting. We are at a breaking point, with the continual outsourcing of jobs only serving to hollow out the expertise within RTÉ. We are hosting this meeting to hear exactly how the various political parties intend to address these concerns within the context of new broadcasting legislation.”