RTÉ remained on course to cut more than 100 jobs this year, its director general said in an email to staff.
The broadcaster sent preliminary responses on Monday to the 325 staff members who expressed interest in leaving under a voluntary exit programme announced this year.
The scheme was established as part of a five-year strategy, originally announced in 2023, through which RTÉ aims to reduce staff numbers by up to 400.
Under its terms, staff could seek to take voluntary redundancy or if they were aged over 55 could take early retirement.
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Terms on offer for redundancy vary from four weeks’ pay per year of service for people employed by RTÉ for two to five years and up to six weeks for those with more than 10 years of service.
Staff members had to have a minimum of two years’ service to be eligible to apply, while senior management were said to be excluded.
Management at the broadcaster have never provided detail of any envisaged schedule for achieving the 400 figure.
However, after the deadline for applications passed in late May, the organisation said the target for this year was “over 100” with those leaving set to depart at the end of October, November or December.
In an email to staff on Monday, RTÉ director general Kevin Bakhurst said the organisation remained on track to achieve that target and time frame.
Staff who applied were told their applications had been approved, rejected or would be subject to a further review process.
Those whose applications were approved are to be provided with tax advice and other help before they make a final decision on whether to go.
An RTÉ spokesperson could not reveal the numbers of applicants who fell into each category while the process was continuing, but said “a significant number of applications have been approved, a smaller number have not been approved and a large number will now proceed for further review”.
Further reviews of applications would take place in the coming weeks as RTÉ received responses and continued to explore ways to facilitate additional exits this year, the spokesperson said.
“RTÉ is focused on delivering in excess of 100 exits from the organisation in 2025,” the spokesperson said.
Union sources said they hoped to have a clearer picture over the coming weeks of how many might be leaving this year. They said they were keen to see the retention of as many jobs as possible.
The main unions at the organisation, which include the National Union of Journalists and Siptu, have previously criticised the proposed scale of outsourcing of programme-making to which some of the job losses are linked.
