Ballina town councillor Johnny O’Malley this week proposed a motion calling for the Minister for Communications to cap the wage structure at the national broadcaster to €200,000. In outlining the reasons for his motion, Cllr O’Malley told the other members: “I think €200,000 is enough, if it’s good enough for the Taoiseach, it should be for them.” He had previously explained that when RTE closed its Raidio na Gaeltachta studio in Mayo earlier this year, because of a lack of funds, the “obscene” wages that some in RTE earn came to his mind.
There was support for the motion from Cllr Gerry Ginty and other councillors in the chamber. Cllr O’Malley closed the debate on the motion by saying: “It has to be remembered the population of this country is roughly the same as Manchester. I can’t see anyone there commanding that kind of wage in a similar job.”
