RTÉ WILL offer staff unpaid leave among a range of cost-cutting measures to be launched over the coming weeks to help find savings of €41 million as the broadcaster aims to break even in 2009.

Cathal Goan, director general of RTÉ, said that the broadcaster would be putting other cost-cutting options to staff over the coming weeks, and it would include an option where staff could take unpaid leave.

He said it was too early to say how many staff the company was hoping would participate in its early retirement scheme.

“There will be a number of other initiatives that will be launched over the next couple of weeks,” said Mr Goan.

He said that the individual sums paid to RTÉ’s high-profile presenters in 2007 would be published over the coming weeks.

The broadcaster said 80 per cent of 319 staff on management pay grades voted in favour of voluntary pay cuts.

This follows a staff ballot last month where 57 per cent of union members accepted pay cuts of up to 12.5 per cent. The reductions in pay will create savings of just over €5 million this year.

Speaking on the publication of RTÉ’s 2008 annual report, chief financial officer Conor Hayes said that further cost-cutting measures to address the €68 million shortfall in advertising revenues forecast this year had been identified.

RTÉ broke even in 2008 following a sharp slump in advertising revenue and increased costs.

The broadcaster said it had until the end of 2010 to identify to the Pensions Board how it planned to reduce a net deficit of €87 million in the pension fund.

Mr Hayes said RTÉ had substantially reduced the fund’s investments in Irish equities in recent years.