A cross-party group of 125 TDs and senators, including a Government Minister, has called for a review of the estimated €7 million contract for audio and video coverage of Oireachtas proceedings, with questions around its value for money.
In a letter to the Houses of the Oireachtas Commission, which runs Leinster House, the public representatives, including Minister of State Jerry Buttimer, said there is a “compelling case” for the commission to directly employ the 10 full-time and 20 part-time professional broadcast workers providing the coverage, “given the extremely concerning working conditions and pay issues”.
They allege “precarious and uncertain working hours, withdrawal of pay during Oireachtas recess periods – including Christmas – lack of pension entitlements, pay that is significantly below the industry norm, lack of any retainer payment and a culture of criticism from management”.
“These workers are left to rely on social welfare for periods when the Oireachtas is not in session.”
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The letter also says “it is difficult to see what a contract with a private company adds to the services they provide given that all the skilled work is carried out by these workers and their equipment is provided by the Oireachtas itself”.
The first five-year contract was issued in 2011 for €7 million. TDs and senators are attempting to establish the current value of the contract “and how this money is spent”.
Pi Communications, the current contractor, which provides a similar service to the Northern Ireland Assembly, has said the contract operates on a “pay per public minute model”. Based on the 2011 contract, this meant €250 an hour for each hour of broadcast, as well as an overall contract fee.
The employees broadcast the live feeds of the Dáil, Seanad and committees. They also oversee the archiving of all feeds.
The company said the workers have a guaranteed fixed amount of work “each full sitting week”, with “certainty of income for their contracted work”.
However, one employee, who did not want to be named, said most of the employees are on “casual part-time contracts” with “only one day a week guaranteed, which is very precarious”. Some workers have no guaranteed days and are only brought in occasionally, the employee said.
In response, Pi Communications said: “We are surprised and disappointed that some who have commented on our operations did not first fact-check the accuracy and veracity of ill-founded claims.”
The company said the employees earn substantially more than the national living wage, with attractive bonus arrangements and receive paid leave and sick leave.
Employees “are free to work on other projects or for other employers, as is the norm in our industry”. It said salaries are regularly benchmarked and commensurate with roles, skills, experience and responsibilities.
Social Democrats TD Liam Quaide, who co-ordinated the TDs. and senators’ letter, said public representatives question “the value for money” the contract provides. They believe it would be cheaper for the Oireachtas to pay the workers directly. He said the “only overheads in the contract would seem to be the employees’ pay”, as the equipment is supplied by the Oireachtas.
The issue has been referred to the Public Accounts Committee and to the Oireachtas Media Committee.
The letter says the contract is due for renewal this year. It adds that any review should include an in-depth investigation into the issues raised by the broadcast workers, which they have previously attempted to resolve through industrial relations mechanisms.
Included in the group of 125 calling for the review is Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald, Labour leader Ivana Bacik, Social Democrats acting leader Cian O’Callaghan, and former journalists Evanne Ní Chuilinn (Fine Gael) and Alison Comyn (Fianna Fáil), both of whom are senators.
The Houses of the Oireachtas Commission has said the workers and Pi Communications are in dialogue at the Workplace Relations Commission and it would not be appropriate “to undermine the industrial relations process”.
