RTÉ AND THE RTÉ Trade Union Group (TUG) have reached agreement on a proposed 6% pay increase over two years.

The proposals will now go to a ballot of union’s members.

If approved, staff would receive a 3% increase in January, backdated to 26 December, a 1.5% increase in October 2023 and a further 1.5% in April 2024.

A non-taxable voucher of up to €1,000 would be issued in early 2023 as well as a second voucher of €500 the following January.

The vouchers will be scaled in line with the percentage of full-time hours worked by staff and divided into separate brackets, it’s understood.

Staff members working 60% or more of annual full-time hours for the year of 2022 will receive the full payment, while those working between 20 and 59% of full-time hours will receive €600.

It’s understood that RTÉ and the TUG have also agreed to implement monthly pay for all employees in 2023.

In May, unions lodged a claim for a 9.5% pay increase for staff.

Martin Mannion, an organiser with SIPTU, told The Journal that it was hoped the ballot on the pay increase could take place before the end of the year.

“It would be nice for them to know before Christmas. Even if they know they won’t be getting the extra money in their pay packet for Christmas at least they know it’s coming in the new year,” he said.

“I’m sure that there’ll be some people who won’t be happy with what we’ve achieved.

“But once we get an opportunity to explain it to them – we’re holding a number of townhall meetings and video conferencing calls -  the rationale of how we got to where we are in the perspective of not having a pay deal for the previous 14 years and the financial constraints that RTÉ are under, people will understand.”

“This is a realistic increase in pay for them over the next couple of years, and hopefully going forward from it set the tone that we will be getting back to annual pay increases.”

In a joint statement, RTÉ and the TUG said the agreement sought to achieve a fair balance that recognised the pay restraint in RTÉ since 2008as well as the cost-of-living increases on staff.

The agreement also acknowledges “RTÉ’s own financial position within a highly disrupted media sector and its obligations to sustain employment, public service programming and its commitments to audiences,” according to the statement.