Staff at RTE are “dismayed and disappointed” that the government has decided to continue with the TV licence system, unions representing workers at the Irish broadcaster have said.
The RTE Trade Union Group described it as a “politically cowardly” move which would not bring certainty for staff.
Media Minister Catherine Martin’s decision to provide a mix between direct Exchequer funding and the existing TV licence fee was approved by Cabinet on Wednesday, after months of wrangling between ministers on how the broadcaster should be funded.
The plan will include a 725 million-euro three-year fund for RTE.
An Post, which is in charge of collecting the 160-euro annual fee per household, also received six million euro to improve its collection service.
Co-chairwoman of the Trade Union Group and RTE education correspondent Emma O Kelly said it would have been more effective to replace the licensing system.
She said: “The Government had the opportunity to listen to this expert advice and opt for a model that would be equitable and progressive for the Irish public but instead it has shown political cowardice and effectively opted to maintain the status quo.
“By deciding to give An Post an additional six million euro over three years to reform the collection system, the government is admitting the licence system is already broken.
“To add insult to injury, having ignored a series of expert reports, the government has appointed yet another technical group to examine the licencing system.
“It would have been more effective for the government to admit that the system is broken and to replace it completely.”
Ms O Kelly added: “Everyone knows that the possession of a TV set bears little relation to how people consume public service content here now or anywhere internationally.
“Yet the government has chosen to ignore the writing on the wall and stick with a TV licence charge. This is beyond disappointing.
“We do not accept that RTE workers should pay the price for the historic failures of successive governments to adequately fund public service broadcasting or mismanagement and corporate governance failures by RTE itself.”
The National Union of Journalists (NUJ) expressed “grave disappointment” at the government’s decision.
Seamus Dooley, NUJ Irish secretary, said: “The current financial crisis in RTE is to a great extent the product of political cowardice on the part of successive governments in failing to reform the licence system.
“It is an outmoded system which has not been properly resourced.”
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