‘Fair City’ stars ‘feel expendable’ as RTÉ show stops filming over summer, Dáil committee will hear

This has never happened previously, despite RTÉ having broadcast events including the Olympics, the European Football Championship and GAA Championships before, according to a statement to be delivered to an Oireachtas committee.

The Siptu statement also claims Nuacht studio are “falling apart”, and members of the RTÉ Concert Orchestra are extremely concerned about their future.

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RTÉ management is accused of refusing to accept claims by workers who were misclassified as self-employed for all entitlements, including pension “liabilities” that mean they “will be disadvantaged for the rest of their lives”.

The statement says comments by director general Kevin Bakhurst that 400 job losses will not affect news and current affairs have raised fears among operational staff that they will be hit worst.

The job cuts announcement sent shock waves through the national broadcaster, according to the statement, as rumours spread like wildfire about where they will happen.

Siptu claims management has given no detail since.

In the opening statement to the Joint Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sports and Media, Siptu says Irish Equity members in Fair City feel like easy targets.

It says they were dealing with suggestions that the production would be outsourced. Although this did not happen, they have been informed there will be no filming in July and August of this year, it says.

“This is happening so that management can use the technical staff to cover the 2024 European Football Championship, the Paris Olympic Games, and the GAA Championship, all of which require huge resources,” it says.

Siptu says the issue of RTÉ not employing workers correctly goes back many years. It notes that a review in 2018 by law firm Eversheds Sutherland found that of 433 contractors, 106 had “attributes akin to employment”.

It says these employees have a claim for the retrospection of entitlements for pension contributions, annual leave, public holidays, privilege days, shift premia, sick pay, maternity leave, paternity leave and contracts.

The union says the review recommended it should apply a new policy and guidelines with regard to engaging contractors and freelancers. “We do not know whether this ever happened,” it says.

It adds that the Department of Social Protection’s scope section is examining 690 workers’ employment status.

It says employment status is an issue that is ongoing in RTÉ and there are staff on rolling contracts and it is a “struggle” to get them “regularised”.

“These workers are afraid to challenge RTÉ management over this as they are concerned that their contract will be terminated, and they would lose any chance of getting employment within RTÉ,” it says. “This is a culture that has existed for years and continues to exist.”

It says Fair City actors have only recently become RTÉ employees, but do not have a contract of indefinite duration despite some working on the show for more than 20 years.

They must agree to RTÉ having “first call” when it comes to them being available for work outside the broadcaster, it says.

“It is an example of how actors are controlled by RTÉ. Our members have raised concerns about a culture of fear, and if they raise a concern, there could be consequences.” ​

In response last night, RTÉ said the broadcast of Fair City from four times a week to three was announced last year as part of cost-saving measures.

It also said it is "working hard to resolve the outstanding SCOPE cases and it remains a priority for the organisation”.

"Any appeal is on the basis that there has potentially been a mistake made in process or law. The SCOPE process is solely to assess any PRSI liability. Of the 695 cases under review, 363 individuals are no longer providing services to RTÉ, and 105 individuals are employees. 167 have been processed so far or are being processed, RTÉ has appealed 31 cases to date.”

It said that the Eversheds Sutherland review “concluded that 106 of these contractors had “attributes akin to employment”; 82 of these were offered contracts of employment with RTÉ and 79 accepted these offers”.

On job losses, it said the proposed exit programme will be voluntary, and all applications will be reviewed “within the terms of its voluntary exit programme”.