Labour Court rejects RTE journalist's bid to be re-classified to higher grade

A Labour Court upheld a Workplace Relations Commission recommendation that dismissed a multimedia journalist’s two claims under the Industrial Relations Act. The claims sought reclassification to a higher grade and additional compensation for work on a project carried out between 2010 and 2012. The WRC adjudicator found the worker was already employed at the appropriate grade and was well compensated for the project. The adjudicator stated the worker showed an extraordinary sense of entitlement and self-importance regarding both the project work and his role as a multimedia journalist. The adjudicator also noted that RTÉ incurred a €100,000 cost to make certain allowances pensionable, concluding the worker was more than adequately compensated. The worker’s appeal to the Labour Court failed.

"It is clear that the worker in the instant dispute has an extraordinary sense of entitlement and a huge sense of self-importance both in respect of the work he did on the project and the work he does as a multimedia journalist."

"Mr O'Neill wrote that the move by RTÉ to incur a cost of €100,000 making certain allowances pensionable, meant the journalist was "more than adequately compensated for his work on the project"."

"The worker, who is not named, earned a total of some €84,630 a year as a multimedia journalist at the time of the WRC hearing. That figure included an additional allowance for duties as chief sub-editor. The journalist claimed that he is entitled to additional compensation for a project he was engaged on between 2010 and 2012 known as the CND project and that his current grade of multi-media journalist does not reflect the work he is currently doing and he should be re-classified to a higher grade of newscaster."

"In his WRC ruling in January 2025, Adjudicator, Breiffni O'Neill recommended that the worker carefully reflect on his analysis and accept that he has been compensated more than appropriately in respect of the project on which he was engaged and that he is employed at the appropriate grade, in respect of which he is also well compensated."

Read at Irish Independent