Journalists working at RTE will hold the station to the "same standards" as other organisations in Ireland, a correspondent at the broadcaster said.
Emma O’Kelly, who is the chair of the National Union of Journalists Dublin Broadcasting Branch, has said members want an independent inquiry into the Ryan Tubridy secret pay deal revealed on Thursday.
Ms. O’Kelly, who also works as the station’s Education Correspondent, said they will also hold RTE to the same standards as other large Irish organisations.
READ MORE: Ryan Tubridy statement: Star RTE over undeclared €345,000 pay saying error is nothing to do with him
Speaking yesterday on Liveline after an emergency NUJ meeting, she said: “People at that meeting spoke of how devastated they were, how ashamed they are, and how betrayed they feel about what has happened.
“The main message I think people wanted to get out is this is a crisis and a massive setback for us in RTE but it is not of our making. This is down to corporate governance.”
Ms. O’Kelly added: “We want an independent inquiry. We want it to be wider than what we’ve heard so far because we want to get to the core of the issues that have gone on here.
“People spoke about how this highlights a culture of secrecy within RTE and called for transparency so that is the central thing we’re looking for.”
Ms O’Kelly paid tribute to her colleagues and said she was proud of them vowing they will continue to do their jobs.
She explained: “I’m certainly proud of my colleagues. We’re trying to do what we’ve always done and that is honouring the hard-earned good will that the public has given to us and their trust.
“We will continue to hold RTE to the same standards that we attempt to hold other powerful organisations in this country to.”
The topic was hotly debated on Liveline with many slamming Ryan Tubridy and the licence fee - but the former Late Late Show presenter did have some supporters who said Ireland was a country full of “begrudgers”.
Meanwhile, the secretary of the NUJ also weighed in and said the “drip drip” of information doesn’t reassure RTE employees.
Seamus Dooley said: “I struggle to understand why the suspension of the Director General on Wednesday was not announced at the same time. This form of drip drip announcements, a sort of industrial relations striptease, does nothing to reassure RTÉ employees.
“I am mindful of the need for due process and the rights of individuals in this process and I look forward to the Grant Thornton investigation.
“I am also mindful of the sense of betrayal felt by workers whom I and colleagues represented in good faith negotiations while a parallel process of negotiations with a third party was undertaken by RTÉ.
“That process and the arrangements entered into led to a deception of staff, the public, and the government. RTE staff deserve better. The Oireachtas deserves better. The Irish public deserve better.”
He also slammed RTE for their use of “third-party contracts” and said he has serious concerns about them.
