81 RTÉ workers offered contracts after review of staff misclassified as self-employed

RTÉ director general Dee Forbes provided the figures to the Public Accounts Committee (PAC).

The committee had raised concern about the status or workers who had been at the broadcaster for years, but were still considered to be freelancers or contractors.

But while the issuing of contracts was described as "a step forward" by PAC member, Sinn Féin's David Cullinane, he claimed some of the individuals are being offered salaries so low that it's "simply unsustainable for them to work in Dublin."

In a letter to the PAC Ms Forbes gave an update on the implementation of the Eversheds Sutherland review on the use of freelancers and contractors by RTÉ.

The report found that some contractors appeared to have "attributes akin to employment" and highlighted 157 individuals in need of "further review".

Ms Forbes said that to date RTÉ has issued 81 contracts of employment. Of these 58 have been formally accepted and two have been rejected.

The remaining 21 are expected to be responded to by the end of the year.

Social Democrats TD Catherine Murphy said the issue of backdating was not address in Ms Forbes' letter.

"This was raised in the context or a wider issue beyond RTÉ about bogus self-employment," she said.

Ms Murphy added: "There’s consequences for later on it terms of pension rights and things like that. That’s why the backdating aspect is really quite important."

Mr Cullinane said that the issuing of contracts to workers was a "vindication" of TDs raising the issue.

But he added: "The difficulty is a number of staff who contacted me have been offered what they would describe as very low grades."

He said this is because the terms of reference of the review of their employment only considered the years 2017 and 2018, when some were at RTÉ since as far back as 2012.

Mr Cullinane claimed they have been "put at a disadvantage".

He added: "they’re saying that they’re being offered grades and salaries which is simply unsustainable for them to work in Dublin.

"That’s the reality for many of them and they’re very sore about it because there’s an issue that’s being corrected, but as they would see it, unfairly corrected."

PAC chairman Seán Fleming said that the Oireachtas Communications Committee meet with RTÉ regularly and said Ms Forbes' letter would be sent to them for consideration.