RTÉ’s content director, Jim Jennings, is set to depart the company following negotiations involving the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC), the company confirmed. RTÉ’s director general, Kevin Bakhurst, informed employees that Mr. Jennings will exit at month-end, with the terms of his departure being undisclosed.
“I’m glad we’ve reached a mutual agreement regarding his exit with WRC’s assistance”, stated Mr. Bakhurst.
Despite no confidentiality clause being part of the arrangement with Mr. Jennings, the details of the settlement will not be publicly disclosed, as per the WRC mediation service’s policies.
Prior to his health-induced leave of absence, Mr. Jennings was part of RTÉ’s senior executive panel under former director general Dee Forbes. He was not integrated into the leadership team that began their tenure post Mr. Bakhurst’s appointment as director general.
Earlier in June, an Oireachtas committee was informed that an exit package for an unidentified individual potentially costing around €400,000 had been proposed. RTÉ’s chairman, Terence O’Rourke, while addressing the proposal in response to queries made by Fine Gael TD Brendan Griffin, acknowledged the sum might reach such a figure, however he was legally prevented from revealing specifics about the individual involved.
The RTÉ spokesperson did not comment on whether Mr. Jennings’s case was related to this undisclosed exit package.
Kevin Bakhurst thanked Mr. Jennings for his substantial contributions over almost four decades at RTÉ, while specifying that he would be leaving the broadcaster on the 31st of August.
Jim began working for RTÉ in 1985, initially as a researcher before eventually taking on roles such as a television producer/director and the chief of RTÉ Radio 1. In 2017, he assumed the position of Content Director. As of now, Jim has made the decision to leave RTÉ during a period when the organisation is undergoing substantial shifts in their Audio and Visual directives as part of a new strategic plan. Thankfully, the Workplace Relations Commission has provided support to enable a consensual settlement for Jim’s departure terms.